ABSTRACT
September 11 is widely considered as the most traumatic and significant of terrorist attacks against the Western World. Western political leaders have emphasised that the international environment changed dramatically post September 11 and the image of an ongoing ‘war against terror’ is now commonly used to evoke patriotism. The reality of this new world order was brought to Australia’s doorstep with the 12 October 2002 bombings in Bali, which resulted in the deaths of 89 Australians and the serious injury of many more. Implicit in the labelling of these events as ‘terrorism’ and in much of the post September 11 discourse by political leaders is that the events create fear among the general population of countries targeted and a resultant loss of wellbeing. Presumably, in the minds of the perpetrators, the negative impact on wellbeing brought about by these acts and by the ongoing threat of further acts provides some form of leverage in their pursuit of political or religious ends.
