“WELCOME back to the fight.” Die-hard “Casablanca” fans might remember this line from near the end of the movie. Resistance-organizer Victor Lazlo speaks it in acknowledgement that Rick, the formerly cynical, embittered caf?/casino owner–the man who once said, “I stick my neck out for nobody”–has joined him in common cause against the Third Reich. Rick has sacrificed much, including his business and the woman he loves, but realizes that events have compelled him to do more than look out for No. 1.

I found myself thinking about Rick last month, following the terrorist bombings in London and Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. By now, it should be crystal clear that in regard to the war on terrorism, we are in for a protracted struggle with a force that is as pitiless and fanatical as any faced in World War II. And I wonder if the insurance industry is really ready to join the fight.

On the face of it, all the terrible news from abroad last month couldn't have come at a better time for insurers. At the end of June, the U.S. Treasury Dept. had issued a long-awaited report stating its opposition to renewing the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act in its current form. The act is set to expire at the end of the year. U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow said the Bush Administration would support an extension of TRIA only if significantly more risk was shifted to the private insurance market.