Since the assassination of Caesar, terrorism has continued to appear in the political arena as an ever-developing universal disease. This poisoned dagger was left among the pages of historical novels and Hollywood's detective movies.

On September 11th, in the first year of the new millennium, all humanity appeared vulnerable against attacks launched by fanatics. Invisible terrorism can show itself anytime and anywhere'in five-star hotels, fantastic malls equipped with modern high tech monitoring devices, airports, or even beneath an isolated table.

What kind of strategies can solve this messy problem? In the opinion of some commentators whose hasty and careless comments create sensational speculations, the time of the 'clash of civilization' prophecy, which has been forgotten for 15 years, has arrived. Although sensational, these comments are far from depicting reality, because terrorism cannot be linked with any civilization, especially with Islamic civilization. To which civilization did Attila, who threatened Rome, belong?

Since the days of the Roman Empire, war has been a part of politics. Now, terrorism has become a part of politics. Terrorist actions, from the frequent hijacking of planes to the bloody actions of representatives of the ETA (the Basque separatist movement in Spain) and of the IRA in Northern Ireland, are committed for political reasons. In terms of the global community's reaction, other terrorist actions do not reach the level of the events of September 11th.

It is too early to comment on the results of this global campaign against terrorism. Furthermore, it is questionable whether the United Nations can develop judicial or other types of sanctions to end terrorism.

As always, the only hope is the military and political alliance of powerful states. The only thing can be said now is that nothing will be the same after the events of September 11th.