September 11, 2001 Attacks

Introduction: 

In September 11 2001, America was subjected to heinous terrorist attacks which impacted the society and government on political and economic dimensions. These attacks have come to be widely referred to as September 11^th, or 9/11 with the dates signifying the date of the attacks (Schier 12).  The magnitude of the disaster witnessed by the American public and to a large extent the global community was historic and unimaginable in 21^st century. About 3000 people lost their lives that material day and property worth billions of dollars were reduced to ashes in a matter of few minutes. Apart from physical damages inflicted by the attack, individuals were subjected to psychological traumas which outlasted the physical impact of the attacks (Holman and Roxane 391). The events which transpired on that day remain fresh on memories of most Americans (both the victims and witnesses) to date and they’ve had an impact on government, business, social fabric and the lifestyle of individuals who were exposed and subjected to the attacks directly and indirectly.

Claim of Facts:

As Schier records, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, on chilling morning; America experienced serious attacks believed to have been executed by Islamic terrorist group called Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden (70). 19 terrorists hijacked four planes and flew two jets (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airline Flight 175) into the Southern and Northern towers of the famously renowned Twin Towers. The third jet (Airlines Flight 77) was directed to Arlington where it exploded.  Furthermore, the criminals intended to crash a forth jet (United Airlines Flight 93) into the US Capital Building in Washington but the passengers managed to resist the attackers forcing them to divert the plane causing it to crash Shanksville (65). About 3000 people lost their lives in the attacks which included 19 hijackers and 227 passengers aboard the four planes (65).

The first of the four hijacked planes was American Airlines Flight 11, which left Logan Airport at 7:59 am under the control of the terrorists (Mijanovich and Weitzman 602). On board the flight were 5 hijackers, 11 crew and 76 passengers. The flight was en route to Los Angeles but was diverted to the scene of the attack where it crashed on the North Tower (World Trade Centre) at 8:46 am. The second plane (United Airlines Flight 175) departed from the airport at 8:14 am and flew to Los Angles (Schier 69). Those who were on board included 9 crew members, 51 passengers and 5 hijackers. The plane crashed at Northern tower (World Trade Centre) at 9:03 a.m. The third plane (American Airline Flight 77) left Dulles international Airport at 8:20 a.m and those on board included 6 crew members, 53 passengers and 5  hijackers. Under the direction of hijackers the plane was crashed at Pentagon at 9:37 am. United Airline Flight 93, which was the fourth plane, left Newark International Airport at 8:42 a.m. Those who boarded the plane included 4 hijackers, 7 crew members and 33 passengers (Schier 69). However, unlike other planes where terrorists controlled the entire plane, the passengers on this plane revolted against them creating havoc and in the process forcing the hijackers to crash the plane near Shanksville at 10:03 a.m (70).  The coordinated attacks lasted for 2 hours.

The attacks led to the deaths of 2,996 people, which included among them 2,977 innocent victims and 19 plane hijackers (Mijanovich and Weitzman 603). Those who lost their lives included 246 people who boarded the four planes, 2,606 in the towers and on ground at New York City with 125 people based at Pentagon.  Most of the people who lost lives were civilians but there was an estimated 55 military personnel who lost their lives at the Pentagon.  According to Prelinger (4) about 90 % of the visitors and workers who lost their lives were caught unawares by the disastrous events at their places of work or leisure (602). At Northern Tower 1,355 people at the impact scene lost their lives because of smoke inhalation, falling or jumping to escape smoke and flames, or the collapsing of the building (603). Remarkably, Flight 175 crashed Southern Tower and left one stairwell intact and this made it possible for 14 people to escape to safety.

The immediate reaction by the government was to impose an immediate ban on international flights with a view to block any planned terrorist activities. Due to those emergency measures, activities on airports across the United States were paralyzed leading to a state of panic and confusion (Holman and Roxane 390). There was also panic fueled by rumors of imminent attacks from terrorists who were believed to continue with further attacks.  The general state of panic prompted the government under the leadership of the then President George W. Bush to make a firm resolve to bring the terrorists to justice (391). The aim was to defeat Al-Qaeda, dismantle their networks, and not give them the opportunity to organize themselves to attack the United States or any other country in the world. The intelligence gathered from the attackers and other sources revealed that Al-Qaeda planned to attack the US on its soil using nuclear weapons to cause irreparable and catastrophic damage on Americans (Schier 70). Additional security measures such as screening in airports and an established collaborative approach against terrorists in every part of the world was sought at the UN Security Council level. These concerted efforts has led to the emergence of a policy framework that has seen countries such as North Korea and Iran face harsh sanctions over their suspected role in sponsoring terrorists.

Claims of Value:

The 9/11 attacks left a mark in history and revolutionized life as we know it today. To begin with, it introduced a sense of insecurity and fear among many Americans. Many people around the world developed a sense of fear of terrorists in appreciation of the fact that they had managed to beat the security systems and execute a mega attack on the world’s strongest nation (Mijanovich and Weitzman 605). In surveys conducted in learning institutions across the US, it was established that pre-sleep fear was at its height among the country’s youth years after the attack (605). The attacks also brought sharp focus on the stress levels in USA occasioning some of the first nationwide surveys evaluating the psychological states of being in the country and a focus on how the same can be remedied.

The 9/11 attacks could also be arguably be said to be the founding blocks of increased international cooperation in the fight against terrorists. Among the first measures taken in response to the 9/11 attacks was an offensive on Al-Qaeda which had taken hold of Afghanistan and large parts of Pakistan (Holman and Roxane 405). Other international approaches included a collaborative effort to freeze assets of known financiers of terrorism and institute sanctions on state sponsors of terrorism such as North Korea and Iran (392). Increased vigilance was also started especially in monitoring private conversations over phone and the internet. Even though this is said to be only applicable to terrorists, the general feeling in the society is that the same violates their right to privacy. However, the regard the society has for privacy has gone down significantly with a majority of those surveyed from time to time intimating that they would be willing to cede some levels of privacy in order to secure themselves and their neighbors. The attacks also contributed to growth of suspicions in the society. Those whose activities are largely unknown tend to attract suspicions. Religious suspicions also increased with most Americans embracing religious tolerance with reluctance, especially towards their Muslim counterparts (408). The attacks therefore fundamentally changed the outlook of the society.

Conclusion

The September 11 attacks in America resulted in the loss of lives and property. About 3000 people lost their lives and property worth billions of dollars were reduced to ashes within hours. More importantly, the attacks led to the redefinition of life as in known today. Terrorism was no longer an American problem but an issue that the whole world would need to deal with. This prompted a more collaborative approach in the fight against terrorism in a move that has led to the punishment of states that are suspected to be sponsors of terrorism. There has also been greater emphasis on security as characterized by intensive screening in public places and travel hubs. Also important is the general acceptance of intrusion of privacy with many in the society expressing willingness to have their conversations monitored if the same were to lead to the detection of terrorist activities. The September 11 attacks have therefore strongly impacted life in the society.

Works Cited

Helga Schier. September 11, 2001. New York: ABDO Publisher, 2007. Print.

Holman, Alisman., and Silver, Roxane. “Future-oriented thinking and adjustment in a nationwide longitudinal study following the September 11^th terrorist attack” Motivation and Emotion, 29.4 (2005): 389-410. Print.  

Mijanovich Tod., and Weitzman Beth. “Disaster in context: the effects of 9/11 on youth distant from the attacks” Community Mental Health Journal, 46 (2010): 601-611. Print.

Annotated bibliography

Helga Schier. September 11, 2001. New York: ABDO Publisher, 2007. Print.

This book primarily focuses on painting a picture on what transpired during and after the 9/11 attacks. The source specifically outlines the manner in which the terrorist attack was executed with explicit details on the composition of the crews and the timings of the crash of the different flights. In addition to this, the book provides the number of fatalities and explains the different categories as the passengers, crew, terrorists; visitors at the scenes of attacks; and even workers who died in the course of trying to rescue victims. Also included is information aimed at answering the question on whether the attacks were sporadic or as a result of careful planning and meticulous implementation.  It does this by including interview results from one of the terrorists whose claims were reportedly echoed by Osama Bin Laden days later. This book is a suitable source for those intending to evaluate the impact of the attacks and understand the direct impact of the same.

Holman, Alisman., and Silver, Roxane. “Future-oriented thinking and adjustment in a nationwide longitudinal study following the September 11^th terrorist attack” Motivation and Emotion, 29.4 (2005): 389-410. Print.  

            This peer reviewed article focuses on the psychological impact of the 9/11 attacks. It recognizes the fact that the attacks were potentially traumatic and that they may have led to widespread stress across the US, especially in view of the fact that the events of the attacks were being aired live across the country. This article appears to primarily aim for readers who are already well versed with the blast and the physical impacts of the same as it fails to provide even a brief insight on the attack and its direct impacts. This approach is plausible in the sense that it allows the reader to concentrate on the issues being addressed; which are the psychological impacts of the September 11 attacks.            It also provides recommendations for future use in case similar traumatic events such as the 9/11 attacks recur in future.

Mijanovich Tod., and Weitzman Beth. “Disaster in context: the effects of 9/11 on youth distant from the attacks” Community Mental Health Journal, 46 (2010): 601-611. Print.

This scholarly article brings out the picture of a general feeling of insecurity as a result of the 9/11 attacks. It also explains the reason behind the widespread stress syndrome across the country as being the live coverage of the event across the whole country and the world. Even though it concentrates on evaluating the negative effects, it just falls short of applauding the event as one that renewed the country’s trust in government and good neighborhood. From the writing, it is easy to picture the drastic shattering of the psychological world of most Americans who hitherto the attack had seen themselves as generally safe. The result was the rise of cases of disorders such as pre-sleep fear.  Policy measures taken by the US government as well as other governments around the world have been briefly highlighted. This article targets an audience interested in understanding the indirect impacts of the 9/11 attacks and appreciate how the same impacts everyday life in terms of societal fabric and general human psychology.