BOMBING: A TRIP `BACK TO THE FUTURE'

The Feb. 26 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York signals a dramatic change in world affairs. Not long ago, then-President Bush spoke of a "New World Order" based on the peaceful settlement of disputes and, when necessary, collective action against aggression. Far from a New World Order, the World Trade Center bombing is symptomatic of what may be called a trip "back to the future."

The ending of the Cold War has released hatreds dating back to antiquity. Across the globe, once-simmering ethnic and religious animosities are flaring up into full scale civil wars. The dimensions and scope of these conflicts are multifaceted. In the former Yugoslavia, Serbian forces are continuing their policy of "ethnic cleansing." Before American intervention, Somalia plunged into violent anarchy. In India, the world's largest democracy, governmental authority is under attack by Hindu religious and sectarian riots which have claimed thousands of lives.

A common motive that runs throughout these, and other conflicts, is revenge. Serbians justify ethnic cleansing by giving reference to their suffering at the hands of Croatian and Bosnian fascism of the past. The Hindu chauvinists of India are exploiting simmering resentment held toward Muslims stemming from the Muslim conquests of India that occurred hundreds of years ago.

In the past, international politics was defined by the clashing ideologies of the two competing superpowers who kept a lid on regional conflicts in order to avert mutual assured destruction. The bipolar world provided some degree of global stability.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, we are witnessing a return of history as old enemies, with axes to grind, settle old scores. Whereas the Cold War was more a struggle of ideas and national security, the global conflicts of today are rooted in the age-old struggle for land and political power. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

The bombing of the World Trade Center, if preliminary indications are correct, was carried out by extremist Islamic fundamentalists (not to be confused with the majority of law abiding Muslims, millions of whom are our fellow citizens) who are waging terrorist campaigns across Northern Africa and the Middle East in order to seize political power in pursuit of their illusionary designs.

The lesson of this tragedy is that in this era of global strife, the multiplicity of conflicts is such that America can no longer take refuge in its peaceful borders, as it will become the target of any number of fanatics from around the globe. Therefore, it would be altogether prudent to strengthen our counter intelligence resources and reconsider our military cutbacks. Furthermore, in the face of rising ethnic and religious division around the world it is of paramount importance that we avoid the politics of division whereby people are judged, not individually by the content of their character, but by cynical interpretations of history.