Although any right-thinking person could not object to the so-called 'war against terrorism', why is it that we cannot now (or did not previously) exercise the same fervour or international effort against say, poverty, disease or world hunger?

The immediate loss of life in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington was horrific. However such loss, if put into simple numeric terms - which is difficult to do because of its shocking nature - would pale into insignificance compared with the numbers who die around the world every day.

Many of these deaths on a daily, weekly, monthly and continuing basis would be preventable if just the basic essentials of human existence were available. For so many people, such essentials are not available - not because of lack of personal endeavour, but because of a combination of adverse natural circumstances such as geography, climate, or whatever.