Two years ago today, airplanes flew into both towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pa., killing more than 3,000 people.

Sept. 11, 2001, was an awakening for America. What transpired was not merely Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network attacking New York and Washington, it was terrorism attacking America.

Martin Luther King Jr. once posited, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Similarly, we must realize that terror anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. Therefore, as we move forward, our war on terror cannot be narrowly confined to Afghanistan and Iraq. We must address all those governments that support the destabilizing tactics of terrorism; President Bush was correct in stating that in this war, “You are either with us or against us.”

Yet our commander in chief seems to have forgotten his own words. The overly kind treatment the United States has offered the Saudi royal family has been simply unacceptable. Twenty-eight pages were blacked out of a government report on the Sept. 11 attacks, and several news sources have rumored those pages to deal directly with Saudi Arabia’s possible prior knowledge of, if not involvement in, the attacks.

We do know, however — according to “Meet the Press” — that just a matter of weeks before that fateful September day, Crown Prince Abdullah sent a letter to President Bush stating, “A time comes when peoples and nations part. We are at a crossroads. It is time for the United States and Saudi Arabia to look at their separate interests. Those governments that don’t feel the pulse of the people and respond to it will suffer the fate of the shah of Iran.” The shah of Iran was overthrown in January 1979.

This begs a startling question: What did the Saudi royal family know, and when did it know it?

Not to be forgotten are the two remaining members of the Axis of Evil, Iran and North Korea, and their budding nuclear programs. Forgetting Iran’s rumored ties to members of al Qaeda, both countries are currently menacing the world by giving suspicious answers to questions about their nuclear capabilities and refusing to allow the multinational inspections necessary to confirm or deny their answers.

In short, they are using a powerful force to inspire fear, and that is the very definition of terrorism. North Korea should serve as a reminder that terrorists need not wear turbans or worship the Koran.

It would be a mistake to not recognize Iran and North Korea as necessary battles — whether they are battles of diplomacy or violence — in the War on Terror.

Yasir Arafat’s Palestinian Authority cannot be ignored either. Just as terrorist acts in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania posed a threat to life throughout the rest of the United States, terrorist acts in Israel pose a threat to the rest of the world. Arafat has failed to reign in groups like Hamas and, in doing so, has signaled an approval of their terrorist tactics.

And if his lack of action is not enough to convince you that he is a terrorist, consider his actions. In September 1972, Palestinians kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli Olympians at the games in Munich, Germany. It was an act of offense to not just Israel but the entire civilized world; the International Olympic Committee called it “a murderous attack by criminal terrorists.” In a 1999 autobiography, Abu Daoud, a prominent Palestinian leader, admitted to a role in planning the Munich massacre. But, more terrifyingly, Daoud also acknowledged Arafat’s role in signing off on the attacks.

Finally, there is France. In a May 6 article, The Washington Times reported that France issued passports to various Iraqi officials so that they could escape the wrath of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although this report has never been confirmed, it would appear to be in sync with France’s destructive tactics at the United Nations. The country’s continued interference with the operation, even though it is now in a rebuilding phase, suggests that the lady protests too much.

Surely military action is not the answer to the issues that exist with many of the aforementioned countries. But the Bush administration has been wise to include tough diplomacy, stringent monetary actions and other nonviolent tactics in the War on Terror. We must use these, as well as whatever other means may be available, to rid the world of terror and terror-sponsoring regimes. Only then can we ensure that those more than 3,000 innocent people didn’t die in vain.

Mac VerStandig ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in rhetoric.