On Oct. 14, the first Sunday after U.S.-led forces began bombing Afghanistan, 250,000 people joined a peace demonstration in the ancient Italian city of Perugia, demanding a halt to military action.

They marched to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, who embraced a life of honest poverty and advocated nonviolence.

For the previous three days, Perugia had hosted the Assembly of the People's United Nations. Individuals from 120 countries joined this event, held following calls from U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson and others under the slogan, ``Globalization from Below.''

At the meeting, I repeatedly heard how Rome's decision to support U.S. military action was far removed from public opinion. Watching the expressions of people waving to the demonstrators during their march, one could feel this opinion is not limited to a few peace activists.

Citizens are mourning the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, demanding the perpetrators be brought to justice, and calling for aid for Afghans, who are dying from the cold and starvation. The Internet is helping these assertions spread across national borders.

Many have said the world has changed since Sept. 11. But the way we look at the world also seems to have changed. People are beginning to realize the importance of knowing what they previously did not know or had unconsciously avoided. They want to hear the voices of the people directly involved and come to their own conclusions.

This awareness seems to be silently developing and transcending generations in parallel with the shared frustration and helplessness people feel toward politics.

In his recent book ``On Democracy,'' U.S. political scientist Robert Dahl cites several challenges in the 21st century. These included democratization in the realm of international politics, the compatibility of democratic values and capitalist market economy, the coexistence of diverse cultures and the education of citizens.

But how can citizens effectively check diplomacy and place the transactions of a small group of elites under democratic control?

We must strengthen means to hold political and bureaucratic elites accountable for their decisions. One way would be upholding freedom of information. There also is a growing need for transnational collaboration of citizens, all the more because the importance of international cooperation after the terrorist attacks is now being addressed among governments. The strength of civil society is being put to the test.

Governments have come up with various ``anti-terrorist'' policy measures. But are they truly effective in promoting human security and defending ``freedom and democracy''? Civil society with an independent voice and the ability to criticize is gaining prominence in industrialized nations, especially in Europe.

The precious lesson from the 20th century-a century of war-was to strictly restrain the use of military force as a means to settle conflicts.

Just as the lesson was taking root in the form of international order, the behavior of a superpower with overwhelming influence is eroding the norm. Northeast Asia, including Japan, has yet to peacefully settle the vestiges of the Cold War. As such, we are the ones who ought to be most concerned with recent developments.

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The author is professor of international politics and peace studies at the Faculty of International Studies, Meijigakuin University.