The lesson of Madrid.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Last week's bombings in Madrid should remind the Bush administration that the fight against terrorism requires a global effort focused on defeating not individual regimes such as Saddam Hussein's Iraq, but shadowy, far-flung terrorist groups, starting with Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network.

The message is clear: Terrorism remains a ubiquitous and deadly threat, despite the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. No nation will be safe until all join in a determined, coordinated effort to uproot that threat.

On Sunday, days after the bombings that increasingly appear to be linked to al-Qaeda, Spanish voters decisively rejected Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who had supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Aznar's government will now be replaced by the opposition Socialists whose candidate, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, won by denouncing Bush's approach to fighting terror and by promising to bring Spanish troops home from Iraq.

For the Bush administration, the pending withdrawal poses more of a diplomatic than a military setback. Spain contributes less than 1 percent of the forces on the ground in Iraq. However, Bush must now worry that other allies may withdraw, fearing that they also may be vulnerable to possible attacks - or fearing recalls by angry electorates.

As U.S. authorities prepare for a transition of power in Iraq, the Bush administration should return to the global strategy promised by its initial response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The United States and its allies should join the rest of the world in fighting terrorism worldwide, with bin Laden and al-Qaeda first in the crosshairs.

Since Sept. 11, there have been more than two dozen major attacks, ranging from Bali to Istanbul to Moscow to Riyadh. Last week's bombings of commuter trains in Madrid underscore the global nature of the threat and the need for a coordinated, global response, not Bush's my-way-or-the-highway approach.

So far, White House officials don't seem to be getting the message. Vice President Dick Cheney and others are already arguing that the Madrid bombings prove that the United States is on the right course and that there must be no deviation from Bush's current strategy.

The United States must change its largely unilateral approach to terrorism. The war in Iraq has diverted resources from the critical search for bin Laden, while giving al-Qaeda a new stage for attacking the United States and recruiting new terrorists.

The future of the fight against terrorism does not ultimately depend on U.S. military might or the ability of the Bush administration to oust outlaw regimes such as Saddam Hussein's in Iraq. It depends on forming and sustaining an overwhelmingly powerful, international coalition that can confront al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, deny them sanctuary, track their funds and roll up their cells. It depends on an intensive global effort that share intelligence and trace the flow of money, weapons and terrorists.

The Madrid bombings should remind President Bush that terrorism can be defeated only by working with the rest of the world. It's not just Americans' fight, and Americans should not fight alone.