9/11: How Today's World is Still Facing the Aftershocks Twenty Year's Later
By: Katie Harbaugh
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, amongst several other government buildings, were targeted by a radical terrorist organization, al-Qaeda. On that day 2,996 people lost their lives, and many more were injured. Children became orphans, spouses widowed, and the American paradigm on international involvement shifted permanently. Twenty years later this event still has a great impact on daily life and major issues around the globe.
After 9/11 occurred, many angry, terrified Americans desperately searched for a scapegoat. When they found a group to blame--that is, Muslim Americans-- they held on to this discrimination for dear life. This terrible event brought out the worst in many Americans who witnessed it, and consequently, islamophobia is still very present today. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common theme in American history, which has continued since 9/11. When inexplicable horrors occur, many individuals turn to blaming innocent people, exacerbating the situation. See the recent Covid-19 pandemic as an example. Simply because the virus appeared to originate in China, Asian Ameircans became the targets of increased violence and discrimination, further dividing an already weakened country.
Aside from resulting discrimination, the events of September eleventh also led to US involvement in the war in Afghanistan. A controversial war, to say the least, the war in Afghanistan also shows how even major governments look to blame large populations for the actions of few. 9/11 was a horrible act of terrorism at the hands of al-Quaeda, that is readily agreed upon. However, al-Qaeda is a group with a small number of individuals compared to the millions who live in Afghanistan, and the war there primarily affects innocent civilians whose only crime is peacefully residing in the same country where the Taliban and al-Qaeda have a major presence. We see the effects of this war today, in the current crisis in Afghanistan, and the aftershocks of 9/11 are clear as day.