People's Democracy

THE destruction and devastation is truly awesome. The centre of world capitalism, the World trade Centre, till recently the tallest building on planet Earth, came literally tumbling down in a matter of minutes. The twin towers that dominated New York's skyline had 220 floors with nearly 50,000 permanent employees working. It is estimated that more than 1.5 lakh people visit this building during the course of a single day. How many perished, how many survived, is not known, and it may well take a long time to get a clear picture of this gruesome attack.

The near simultaneous attack on the Pentagon, the centre of the world's military-industrial complex, confirms the meticulous planning that must have gone into these strikes. The Pentagon has several layers underground to protect it from a nuclear attack. Yet, the flames in one of its wings are still to be calmed, 24 hours after the attack. Preliminary estimates suggest that 800 people are missing.

The fact that four domestic big-bodied planes were almost simultaneously hijacked from different airports on the east coast and crashed at the symbols of American economic and military might, clearly shows that this is not the handiwork of some ordinary terrorist group. Though there have been some stray organisations claiming responsibility for these attacks, including one called the Japanese Red Army which claims retribution for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there is no confirmation as to who is the actual perpetrator of such a horrific assault. US television channels of course repeatedly mentioned the name of Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. It must be recollected that US imperialism actively encouraged the Taliban and Laden against the erstwhile Soviet army in Afghanistan.

Clearly, these attacks have been carried out with immense homework and thoroughness that calls for long planning. That it was possible to execute an action of such dimension itself speaks volumes for their capacity for crime and terror. It also exposes, at the same time, the vulnerability of even the mighty USA which was seeking to further secure itself from outside attacks through the ongoing National Missile Defence programme. Carrying missiles to outer space and thus sparking a fresh round of global nuclear arms race cannot protect the USA from such attacks. Such acts of terrorism and state terrorism preached and practiced by the USA are two sides of the same coin. They feed on each other. While all countries in the world must put their heads together to ensure that such tragic loss of innocent lives is not resorted to as the means for retribution in any form, it is necessary for the perpetrators to be pinned down before reprisals are launched.

As we go to the press, the horrific dimensions of these attacks are still unfolding. The world, numbed by shock, is trying to come to terms with this reality.