Impacts of the September 11 attacks on the United States

9/11 Impacts

Events of 911 were a shock not only for the people of America but for the entire world. These events brought drastic changes in the world economy along with the political and sociological changes. Different people have different views about the impacts of 9/11 and the way it has changed the world. In order to do this paper, I interviewed my uncle and a neighbor friend. My uncle who is also my relative is about 50 years old and works in a software house while my neighbor friend is 26 years old and has just finished his studies.

My first question was about the impact of the events of 9/11 on their sense of security/vulnerability? Both of them gave almost same responses and I also agreed with their point-of-view. They replied that it was a shock for all of the Americans as they had no idea that their enemies could actually do something like these events. Not only Americans but the different nationalities living in America also started feeling insecure living in America and were scared if any such event could happen again.

My next question was if they agree with the U.S. response to the attacks. My Uncle showed his trust and confidence and believed that the response of America was very strong. They did not become weak but faced the situation and took bold steps to avoid any such event in future. My friend on the other side opposed U.S. reaction to 9/11 events. Indeed he believed that U.S. overreacted to the situation and created problems for lot of innocent people. In my opinion he is right to some extend but then America had to take such steps to save its people.

Both interviewee's gave different responses when questioned about if they feel safer now than they did after 9/11 events. Uncle replied that there is no question that we are safer because U.S. has paid special attention to the problem of terrorism and Islamic radicalism. Several measures have been taken by America to protect its people so there are very rare chances that 9/11 types of events happen again. My friend on the other side gave a different reply; he was of the view that this is the era of Information Technology and it is almost impossible to stop the attackers if they intelligently plan to do something. He justified his statement by giving the example of recent blasts at Boston Marathon Race event in which 4 were killed and 100 injured. My friend's justification really convinced me to think that yes, despite any safety measures, there is always a threat of terrorism.

I also questioned them about the "war on terrorism" concept and asked them in detail if they agree or disagree with the idea and if it is really possible to eliminate all terrorism threats. My uncle's response was little different from what I expected. He considered terrorism as a tactic and he was of the view that we cannot declare war against a tactic. My friend also replied in a similar way that he is not sure if this war on terror can really make everything perfect. However, he believed that in general it is necessary to chase the people who are responsible for terrorism.

My next question was about the response of the U.S. To 9/11 events; I asked them in detail which steps taken by U.S. were effective and which measures were least effective or counterproductive. I received totally opposite replies from both the interviewees. My uncle pointed out that all the steps taken by the U.S. To diminish Al-Qaeda were effective. Indeed, U.S. achieved their goal by killing "Osama" who was the brain of Al-Qaeda.

In contrast to this, my friend looked at this situation with a different eye. He was of the view that sending troops to Afghanistan was not a correct measure and proved to be counter-productive. Many of the U.S. soldiers were killed, many attempted suicides and nothing valuable was received. In fact, this measure also disturbed many innocent people who had nothing to do with the game. Similarly, drone attacks to kill terrorists was also opposed by my friend who believed that many innocent people are killed in these attacks and there is always a threat to U.S. from these people who can join terrorists organization.

My follow up question was about the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Both interviewees confirmed their views again by giving similar replies. Uncle admired these invasions and believed that these attacks were necessary for the peace. My friend on the other side opposed these invasions and justified his answer by stating the opinions and views that he read on different web pages. He highlighted that one in three U.S. veterans believe that attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq were not worth fighting and after this 10 years of combat; America should now focus on the domestic problems instead of the foreign affairs (The Guardian, 2011).

My personal opinion on these invasions was positive and I believed that these were helpful in fighting with terrorists organizations. However, after listening to my friend's views, I realized that he was right. U.S. should now focus on the problem of its people who are suffering from crime, inflation and unemployment. This is not only my opinion but I also read in a recent publication that 53% people see Iraq war as a mistake and consider this time as its 10th regrettable anniversary (Dugan, 2013)

My last question from both respondents was their opinion about the presence of secret prisons and extra ordinary rendition. My friend opposed these measures and showed his disagreement for U.S. To maintain secret prisons in different countries where prisoners of war against terrorism are abused. He also opposed the extra ordinary rendition which involves secretly sending the prisoners to other countries where they are tortured or released.