Psychologist Abraham Maslow, best known for his proposal of a hierarchy of human needs, is quoted as saying, "When all you have is a hammer you begin to see every problem as a nail." Human rights workers and those involved in justpeace movements in Asia feel that the United States has now eliminated almost all of their tools for dealing with international conflict except for their massive military "hammer." With this tool they aggressively strike every perceived "nail" they identify in the global community.

Not only has this escalated international tensions, but it has also given countries dealing with internal democratic liberation movements a way to justify using their own "hammers" against local activists who raise dissenting voices critical of human rights abuses and political, economic and social injustice. The work of these activists has become much more difficult since Sept. 11. They face the increased possibility of arrest and even assassination within their countries. This has been the case in the Philippines, where a growing number of church workers have been abducted and killed by vigilante gangs, possibly supported by the government.

Taking a cue from the United States in its war against terror, some of these governments have too liberally begun labeling those within their own country whom they do not appreciate as "terrorists," giving a sense of legitimacy to the harsh measures being taken to silence the rebellious voices.

The post-Sept. 11 "hammer" approach to dealing with conflict situations has certainly made the world less secure and, according to one Indian peace activist, the very notion of freedom has suffered a severe setback. He says, "The human rights of people in Asia are now being openly violated with the rationalization that these abuses are being done to protect human rights." According to this activist, Sept. 11 should have brought about a deep introspection within the United States on global political and economic relationships, but instead it has been used as an opportunity to make uninformed judgments against others and to invade other countries for the United States' own agenda. Respect for the United States and its reputation as a stronghold of democracy has, consequently, fallen to an all-time low.

Because the present U.S. administration's "bring them on" machoism has helped create a world order in which saber-rattling has quite effectively sidelined diplomacy as a foundation for international relations, human rights organizations and justpeace activists fear that their efforts for social justice will increasingly be stymied until a global leadership that once again cherishes the art of diplomacy returns to front stage. This by no means indicates that justpeace movements in the Asia region are being intimidated into inaction by the war on terror and its sideshows, but rather that their work has become much more complicated and susceptible to harassment by those in power.

It is unfortunate that efforts to make the world safe from terrorism are actually making people feel more insecure and frightened, but that is probably a predictable outcome of the "hammer" approach to problem solving. Governments could learn much from the civil society movements in their countries who are working to develop a variety of tools for effective conflict transformation and the pursuit of a lasting justpeace. Not every problem in the world is a nail and thus a hammer is rarely, if ever, the effective means to deal with it.