It started out as a beautiful Tuesday morning in New York City. The weather almost seemed unusual at the time because a hurricane was destined to hit the East Coast. Citizens exchanged goodbyes with their family members and headed off to work, not having any idea that their lives and the world were about to change forever.
4 planes filled with fuel heading for different destinations on the West Coast were hijacked by 19 men. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 am. What had just happened? Was this just a freak accident or was it something more? 17 minutes later the picture became a lot clearer as American Airlines Flight 175 struck the south tower. As people began to piece together what had just happened, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 am and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field a half hour later (September 11th Terror Attacks Fast Facts).
As time passed, it was evident that the number of fatalities was greater than anyone had ever imagined. A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania field. The attack on American Airlines Flight 77 at the Pentagon killed 184 and the attack on United Airlines Flight 93 in the Pennsylvania field killed 40. 343 New York City firefighters, 23 NYC police officers, and 37 Port Authority officers also were a part of the casualties. According to CNN, ‘As of August 2017, 1,641 (or 60%) of 2,753 WTC victims’ remains have been positively identified, according to the medical examiner’s office’ (CNN 1). It is crazy to imagine that some families still do not know if their loved ones died in the attacks or are still alive (September 11th Terror Attacks Fast Facts).
At the time, people wondered why the United States may have been targeted in the 9/11 attacks. The attacks were certainly devastating, but not at all surprising. Osama bin Laden was clearly the main orchestrator behind the attacks, but it is important to note that other individuals played a key role in making the attacks happen. According to Peter L Bergen of Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Bin Laden believed the United States was a ‘paper tiger’, a belief shaped by America’s departure from Lebanon following the marine barracks bombing but also by the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia in 1993′ (Bergen 1). It is also evident the way The United States pulled forces from Vietnam caused bin Laden to have ill feelings towards America. Osama bin Laden had all the power and resources, but it was others who influenced him as the attacks entered the planning stages (Bergen).
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed worked behind the scenes but was a key operational planner for the 9/11 attacks. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood at 16 and went to the United States for college. He actually planned to blow up a dozen planes in the 1990s but the plan was never carried out. For Khalid, the plan failed but the dream never ceased. He met bin Laden in 1996 in Afghanistan, hoping he could have assistance in pursuing the dream. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the one who came up with the idea of crashing planes into buildings. Al-Qaeda was able to support the dream through money, personnel, and logistical support. Hopes of regime change in the Middle East led to the planning stages of the attacks. In the beginning, it was widely assumed that Al-Qaeda only came out of Afghanistan. After flight lessons in the United States, meetings in Malaysia, and transfers of money from Dubai, it was clear this was now a global affair. According to Peter L Bergen of Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Some combination of perceived or real discrimination, alienation, and homesickness seems to have turned them all in a more militant direction’ (Bergen 2). It is estimated Hamburg is where the hijackers became radicalized due to isolation and homesickness (Bergen).
Mohammed Atta, one of the lead hijackers, came to Afghanistan in 1999 when the 9/11 attacks were still in the planning stages. Atta and his group impressed bin Laden and his operatives, so they were appointed to take the lead on the attacks instead of the previously selected individuals. bin Laden and his advisors felt Atta’s group was better suited to carry out the attacks. The hijackers slowly became familiar with the United States, even receiving commercial flight training. It was August 21st, 2001 when Mohammed Atta made a call to another operative informing them there was two weeks until the attacks, indicating the number 11 by referencing two sticks (Bergen).
The morning of the attacks, then current President George W Bush was reading to elementary students in Florida. His Chief or Staff informed him through whisper after the planes had crashed. His response was quick and viewed as greatly positive by much of the general public. That evening he was on a plane to address the nation from Washington, DC. The immediate response, carefully articulated words, and multiple visits to the sites increased his favorability ratings from 55% to 90% within days. Now, a $25 million bounty was offered by President Bush for the capture of bin Laden, either dead or alive (Bergen).
The idea that the 9/11 attacks were not at all surprising can be supported by the fact that Ramzi Yousef attempted to take down the World Trade Center himself in 1993. The 9/11 Commission Report backed this up in stating that the building may have been a common target because of its location, size, and occupancy. The report also found Yousef had planned to blow up 12 US planes flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1993, but was not successful in doing so. Would future events had been altered if potential past events had been gone through with (9/11 Commission Report).
Much of the motivation behind the attacks involved the Muslim view of America. The desire to murder Americans stemmed from America’s aggression towards the Muslim religion and their occupation of Islam holy lands. Muslim militants went to Afghanistan to fight to Soviet Union in the 1980s. al-Qaeda was formed after the Soviet Union was defeated in order to mobilize jihadists internationally. Osama bin Laden’s rhetoric and tough talk brought in new recruits from all over, which in turn brought in money to fund the program. The regime became even more powerful through the relationship with the Taliban. al-Qaeda was now able to move its resources and soldiers internationally and conduct an alliance that had the ability to direct major operations (Bergen).
President Bill Clinton and newly elected President George Bush were fully aware of potential attacks on the USA involving al-Qaeda. Not very much action was taken due to the fact that they expected attacks to occur overseas, not domestically. Friction arose after bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Talks began of having bin Laden killed but they never amounted to anything. 10 planes were originally planned to attack both east and west portions of The United States but bin Laden made the switch to 4 planes due to the complexity of the original plan. Many individuals that were going to be involved in the attacks dropped out at the last possible minute. Hijackers got through the security system 19 out of 19 times and NORAD was not issued a shoot down until nearly a half hour after the first attack. Opportunities were most certainly missed in possibly preventing the attacks. These include not acting upon false visa applications and passports, not hardening doors to prevent hijacking, and not locating persons of interest who had infiltrated the country (Bergen).
The attacks generated a ton of change in the United States and in countries around the world. Besides the new laws, organizations, and programs, the way we think about certain things has changed, and in some cases we now think about things never thought about before. The United States of America has changed both positively and negatively due to the political, economical, and social effects brought on by the 9/11 attacks. These changes are prevalent in our daily lives and in the lives of future individuals as well.
The United States has experienced a multitude of political changes following the 9/11 attacks. The US issued a response to the 9/11 attacks in the form of a war. This war was named Operation Enduring Freedom. The war itself began on October 7th, 2001 in Afghanistan. al-Qaeda was surely involved, but the United States accused the Taliban of providing protection to Osama bin Laden. By engaging in this combat mission, the United States hoped to hunt down bin Laden, take away the authority of the Taliban, and prevent the land of Afghanistan from being used a terrorism stronghold as many knew it would soon be. The United States gathered support from multiple countries including Canada and the United Kingdom. Italy, Germany, and France eventually joined in by sending troops as well (Brill).
The impact of this war on the United States Military branches was extraordinary. In 2007, 50,000 US and NATO troops were stationed in Afghanistan. By 2009, President Barack Obama’s increased the load of troops to nearly 100,000 US soldiers and 40,000 NATO troops. By 2011, President Obama began sending troops home little by little. Approximately 2,403 US deaths occurred, but that does not speak to the number of injuries and the lasting physical, mental, and emotional impact on those who did survive. Approximately 2 trillion dollars has been put into the war in Afghanistan. These costs do not even includes funds for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (Neyfakh).
For Democrats, Republicans, and other third party candidates, policies and the way that they govern have experienced significant changes since the 9/11 attacks. After all, the voters care deeply about terrorism issues and want to see their candidate take strong support for preventing such acts. The opposing parties did come together by forming programs such as Department of Homeland Security along with the passing of the Homeland Security Act. Eventually, three main bodies of the DHS were formed, including the CBP, ICE, and USCIS. Also, the evolution of the Patriot Act occurred, which involved civil liberties and surveillance. Through these programs, America is able to gather intelligence easier than it could in the past. According to Steven Brill of The Atlantic, ‘Today, all U.S. security agencies share the same watch lists and threat databases, which are constantly updated’ (Brill 1). This is particularly helpful when you consider the fact the CIA knew and had been tracking terrorists and their whereabouts, but failed to inform the FBI (Brill).
Since 9/11, political parties have battled over immigration reform involving admitting refugees into the United States from other countries. The central focus is whether the admitted refugees are dangerous to the homeland. There is evidence that some are certainly dangerous, but the fact is that many only want to escape and look for a better life. Currently, Republicans’ stance is that there should be strong restrictions for refugees entering, and in some cases even bans. Democrats seem to be sympathetic, meaning they realize many of these people have endured many difficulties and are not looking to do harm to the country. Some will argue that the current administration is taking an isolationist approach when dealing with those of the Muslim religion (Brill).
One of the biggest changes evident involves airports and traveling by air in general. The adoption of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and the formation of the TSA were the largest changes in regards to policy. Metal detectors and X-Raying luggage were among the new policies. As far as the airplanes themselves, new changes were made to the doors to the cockpits. After all, the 4 plans may have not been able to have been hijacked had the doors been more secure. Besides fortifications to the doors themselves, there are now video and recording devices available for airplane personnel to monitor passengers. Besides these, airplane employees can now communicate with emergency services if needed. On top of strict baggage and carryon restrictions, passengers are often patted down and heavily searched before boarding the plane (Brill).
Due to the 9/11 attacks, The United States has experienced changes in regards to economics, monetary, and fiscal policy. When the GDP suffered a decline in the 3rd quarter of 2001, the consensus was that the United States was headed into a deep recession. 4th quarter positive growth expelled this assumption very quickly. Sectors and businesses suffered the most economically. For example, an already suffering airline system was fortunate to receiver over $15 billion in government assistance to keep itself afloat. Over 18,000 businesses required government support to stay in business, though criticism arose from small companies being left behind due to lack of funds. Perhaps the biggest economical suffrage was insurance claims, which totaled approximately $40 billion from loss of life and other damages. According to Gail Makinen of Library for Congress, ‘ Over the next three days, the Federal Reserve added some $100 billion per day in liquidity. As a result, it can be argued a human tragedy was not compounded by a financial crisis’ (Makinen 7). Besides the financial cushion provided, they also lowered the funds rates by 0.5%. Unemployment benefits and other aspects led to a $51 billion revenue loss in 2002, but it was evident the United States was becoming more expansionary from a fiscal standpoint (Makinen).
