The events of Sept11, when the cycle of hatred suddenly hit with savage ferocity on the very soil of the US, will remain indelibly printed in the annals of history. Even as the aircraft continued to head towards their fatal destinies, the paradigm of US foreign relations has changed forever. The only question now is in what direction it will head.

After the initial shock and numbness, the initial and primal response of most Americans, unsurprisingly, is to strike down the perpetrators with all the might and fury that the nation's military juggernaut can muster. And if they do so, few people around the world will object, and indeed many will applaud such actions.

Certainly, the US more than possesses the right to bring the terrorists to justice, but if they are to ensure the lasting safety of their people from terrorist attacks, something far more courageous and difficult needs to be done.

While for now it has been mostly radicals and anti-Americans who have said this, it is the sad truth that the attacks were the indirect result of the way the US has been acting on the international arena. Senseless and unjustifiable the attacks may be, Americans need to wake up to the realities of the world and realise how intertwined the fates of all humans are.

While it is wrong to stereotype Americans, it is true that the majority have been busy with the 'American Dream', the rat race to procure the riches that their country has to offer, yet insulated from the problems that plague the rest of the world by two vast oceans.

Other powerful nations such as Britain and Russia have to contend with the (often prickly) feelings of their neighbours when making foreign policy decisions, whereas the US is lucky to have extremely cooperative nations as neighbours (with the exception of Cuba). As such, the American people never get to feel the effects of their leaders' foreign policy decisions, yet get to benefit economically courtesy of global trade.

The events of Tuesday has changed all that. After they have recovered from the shock and horror of such a barbaric attack, hopefully they will realise that they have to re-examine their foreign policy. The tragedies were the result of the cycle of hatred that has been circling the globe for decades if not centuries.

While it is unrealistic to expect the American people not to retaliate for these attacks, they have to take a more enlightened role as world citizens as well. It is a sad fact that while most Americans are good and honest people, many of them are naively unaware of the ramifications of their government's decisions on other nations, letting their own short-term concerns overcloud the consequences of these actions on other peoples.

If the terrorist threat is to be removed once and for all, the roots of hatreds must be destroyed, not just the branches. The image of Palestinians celebrating in the aftermath of the attacks is a stark reminder that even if the perpetrators are brought to justice, there will be an endless stream of people more than willing to take their places.

The US' plan to bring the 'brains' of the attack to justice is far from sufficient... as long as there is hatred, the threats will be constant and never-ending. Americans should not assume that the widespread hatred against them is merely because of jealousy. There are countries with better living conditions and even laxer individual liberties than the US, yet it is always the most obvious subject for hatred.

This is in part because of its size and high visibility, but also because of its policies. Britain and France faced opposition and hatred from their colonies as well, yet nowadays they are looked upon as far more enlightened than the Americans. Such venomous hatred as to compel people to sacrifice their lives does not arise easily.

A person who has hope and prospects of a meaningful life would not throw it away in an orgy of hatred. It is only the hopeless who would find martyrdom in the service of hatred preferable to living. The US needs to choke this hatred in its roots, not feed it.

After World War II, in an unprecedented act of compassion driven by ideological conflict with the Soviet Union, the US forgave its erstwhile enemies, and helped them to rebuilt their shattered nations. This has lead to the enlightened nations of Germany, Japan and Italy as they are today.

While the US has the right and responsibility to bring to justice the monsters behind the Sept11 tragedy, it can only be hoped that they will take a leaf out of history, and extend the same compassion displayed to the vanquished in the aftermath of World War IIs, to those who would hate them.

The only true weapons against terror and hatred is compassion and love. I can only hope that the American people have the wisdom to realise this, and the courage to implement it.