We have waited for nearly month and the other shoe has finally dropped.
The United States quietly initiated military strikes against Afghanistan Sunday. It is far too early to say what the cost of this new engagement is, but we do know that the final element of this new war has arrived.
What is disturbing is that so few people were aware that their military launched an air strike against another country. Many went about their business unaware anything had happened, while others who knew what was going on chose to ignore it.
It further illustrates the idea that we are riveted by what happens in our own backyard but rarely pay much attention to the rest of the world.
Just as it is too early to assess the damage, it is too soon to pass judgment on the merits of this attack.
No one wants to see innocent people die, but that is the unfortunate cost of war. Despite the clean images presented on television, every missile will exact suffering not unlike that which was dealt Sept. 11.
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At the same time, it would be foolish to believe that the United States can ignore the terrorist attacks against civilians on its own soil. We may have been wrong many times in the foreign policy we have imposed on others, but nothing excuses the severe loss of life inflicted on this country.
Today we are watching another chapter unfold in an epic story that forces us to begin understanding the real cost of democracy, liberty and peace.
Iliana Lim¢n
Editor in chief
