The 20th century was described as a century of warfare. But men do not seem to learn much from history. At the start of 2001 the international community pledged to build a new century of peace. As the year comes to a close, however, the world is gripped by fears of war and terrorism.
The horrific destruction inflicted on the United States earlier this year is still fresh in memory. On the morning of Sept. 11, two hijacked commercial airliners smashed into the World Trade Center in New York, demolishing the symbol of America's economic power. Another plunged into the Pentagon, a symbol of America's military might. Still another crashed on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The unprecedented terrorist attacks killed well over 3,000 Americans and other nationals. The media called Sept. 11 "the day the world changed." In polls conducted by the nation's major news media, the tragedy was unanimously selected as the biggest world news story of the year, followed by the U.S. retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan and the anthrax infections that spread fears of biological terrorism in America.