Editorial: No justification for this senseless act

We will look back on yesterday as the day the world stood still. The combined influences of grief and the natural instinct for survival brought the world's most powerful nation, and those with connections to it, to a halt.

Yes, the sun still rose and, yes, most people were able to continue to breathe and eat. However, the elements that fuel communication and commerce were largely missing, shut down by the unthinkable events in New York, Washington and Pittsburgh.

Financial markets inside the United States were paralysed and those outside were in shock. North American airspace became a no-fly zone as did that of America's ally, Britain. With both powerhouses shut down it was small wonder the rest of the world reacted accordingly.

However, institutional paralysis did not account for the feeling of numbness that pervaded the day for New Zealanders as well as Americans. It was, as one man put it, like the day President Kennedy was assassinated. He was right.

The coordinated terrorist attacks and the colossal loss of life - on a scale so unprecedented that a day later there were no official casualty figures - was as senseless as the Dallas shooting. Now, as then, the world stood dumbly mouthing one word: why?

It is a natural question but one that will never provide an answer with any logic or satisfaction. The terrorist attacks were senseless. No matter how loud the claims of moral imperative or divine guidance, these acts of unspeakable violence can have no justification. Denied an answer, we will turn to another, more finite question: who?

And when the answer is forthcoming, God help those found to be behind the attacks. President Bush's address yesterday afternoon was measured and evoked the sense of calm and restraint that his country needed at a time when it could be swept by hysteria. That is not to say that any state found to have been in league with the terrorists will not feel the ferocity of a military response.

Past retribution on those who have harboured terrorists has been deadly. Witness the cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan that followed the linking of Osama bin Laden with attacks on American missions. While Mr Bush talked of bringing the perpetrators to justice, the judgment may be swift and unconventional. It will almost certainly have the backing of a nation that has been dealt a grievous blow.

It may satisfy the immediate hurt but the actions of the United States and its citizens over the next days, weeks and months will have an immense impact on the rest of us. Retribution - or justice - has the potential to create further conflict or the souring of relations between major nations.

Washington must be careful to focus on the organisations responsible for terrorism. While it might see host nations as equally culpable it should think very carefully before unleashing its armed might. There is almost an inevitability that the attacks on the US will have a Middle Eastern connection, which carries with it a risk equation: Middle East plus oil plus conflict equals higher energy prices.

The world economy, already teetering on the edge of an American-led recession, cannot sustain another oil shock any more than it can sustain a rapid contraction in the American economy if the attacks blow consumer confidence to pieces.

President Bush and his Administration have an enormous task ahead of them and, unfortunately, have yet to demonstrate aptitude for the job. They must restore US security. They must restore financial and transport systems. They must restore the confidence of the American people. They must do so not only for the sake of their countrymen but also on behalf of those other countries, like our own, whose economies fall under a pervasive American influence.

When the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared the US will take stock. It has the real virtue of eternal optimism and will not let these acts of unconscionable savagery blight its future. But for now it stands with its head bowed, streaked with grime, waiting for the world to turn again.