After the events of September 11, 2001 it would have been hard to imagine what the world would look like five years later.

The predominant fear was that those attacks would be followed by other ones of similar scale in the United States and the rest of the western world.

We have seen horrible attacks in Spain in 2004 and in London last year, when the transport system was disrupted by bombings, but neither of them was of the magnitude of the US attacks and since 2001, none has occurred on US soil.

Some will argue that this only attests to the vigilance of those directly involved in the fight against terror. A closer look at the present world situation, however, casts serious doubts on the current prescriptions for reining in terror. The world is no safer than it was five years ago even with security a prime concern of the global community.

This year’s anniversary of September 11 offers a useful point from which to gauge the attempts to wage “war on terror”.

In the week preceding the anniversary, came the announcement that the number of US military personnel who had died in the war ensuing in Iraq and Afghanistan had reached 2,974, that figure exceeding the 2,973 people killed in the 2001 attack.

It, of course, does not include the number of troops from other countries who have died in the conflict.

Over 20,000 US military personnel have been wounded in the campaign. Sadly, the war continues with the number of US troops engaged in the struggle in Iraq still in the region of 140,000.

Even more alarming, terrorism has spread and armed conflict is still seen as the way to bring about an end to these attacks. Most recently Israel and the Hezbollah have engaged each other in a war that neither side has won.

Confronting the deafness

The Church has consistently condemned acts of terrorism but also stated that no just and lasting peace can be reached by armed conflict.

In August, Pope Benedict XVI, when questioned about the developments in the Middle East, stated: “War is the worst solution for all sides. It brings no good to anyone, not even to the apparent victors.”

On the eve of another anniversary of the September 11 attacks, it is important for the international community to listen to the voice of the Church and examine with fresh eyes the present precarious world situation.

It is now vital for those with political power and influence to confront the issues that have led to a disregard for international law and a threat to civilisation itself.

But this must be done with a sincere resolve to get to the root of the problems that lead to terrorism and armed conflict in the first place.

In this weekend’s Gospel, some people bring to Jesus a deaf-mute. With his eyes looking up to heaven and with a sigh that indicates his empathy with the afflicted man, Jesus says to him: “Be opened” (Mark 7: 34).

Following the example of Jesus, those who lead nations of the world have a responsibility to confront the deafness and blindness that threaten the world’s peoples.

It requires that leaders set a different kind of agenda, one that God himself inspires in human hearts. It is the Spirit of God that will inspire human hearts to turn from acts of terrorism and every act of violence and move the peoples of the world to work together to combat the common enemies of disease, ignorance and poverty.