The selection of the focus for this issue of The Liaison substantially preceded the horrific events of September 11, 2001. The tenets of international humanitarian law examined in this issue might be seen to respond to those terrorists who killed thousands of innocent civilians. It is pure coincidence. The editor and her colleagues and contributors make no claim nor would take any satisfaction in such prescience.

Like so many others, we have reeled at the enormity of the tragedy, at the intensity of the hate it conveyed. As a nation, we conclude that our challenge is to focus resolve in an appropriate and comprehensive response to these terrorist acts. We also understand the need to sustain broad consensus across the international community in the long fight ahead against terrorism. Meeting such ambitious goals will require not only cold-eyed understanding of an implacable foe's weapons, techniques and behaviors, but clarity on the animus behind them.

As we review deficiencies in airport security, track international bank transfers and investigate numerous criminal leads, we should also assess objectively our international environment in the broadest of terms. Some insights may be painful as we review assumptions about how we are perceived. For example, despite our enormous efforts to address the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, perceptions and memories for many about U.S. leadership in this conflict will be accidental deaths of civilians, our material wealth and destructiveness of our air power.

Whatever we learn in assessing the motives of our enemies, or their views of us as a nation, the rule of law continues to embody and prioritize our values. We affirm those values by applying principles of international humanitarian law in prosecuting our conflict. In this issue of The Liaison you will encounter the disturbing dimensions of Drs. Ditzler and Batzer's Über-Terrorism and the logic of responding to anarchy through the order provided by law. You may detect some universality in King Kamehameha's 200-year-old "Law of the Splintered Paddle" as related by Michael Hoffman. Andre Borgeas' article on the challenges facing the International Criminal Court underlines the difficulty of achieving universal consensus on enforcement of humanitarian law.

In what ways we can, we should remind ourselves that the elusive and dangerous war before us, aside from being long and arduous, will ultimately be won through democratic and humanitarian values. In the end, we will prevail by adhering to them.