Causes and Effects of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of the September 11 terrorist attacks. What were the causes leading up to the attacks, and what have been their effects? One political expert writes, "There is no single September 11 effect, if by 'effect' we mean the way in which something — an event, for example — has influenced our lives" (Arthur). These are not simple questions to answer, and everyone has their own opinion about the events surrounding September 11. Certainly, the terrorist attacks changed the world and the way America looks at the world, but they also changed the way the world looks at America.

Causes of the September 11 Attacks

While the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. were a surprising wake-up call to most of the nation, many believe the government should have seen the attacks coming. One terrorism expert notes, "Terrorism is a problem the U.S. government has been contending with in an increasingly organized fashion since 1968, when Palestinian terrorists began hijacking aircraft and the modern era of international terrorism was born" (Schoenfeld 21). Terrorists kept their attacks away from American soil for the most part, and so, to most Americans, the danger of attack seemed remote until that day. Previous attacks, however, gave a hint of what world terrorist organizations were planning. The nerve gas attack in Tokyo, the bombing of the marine barracks in Iran, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole all illustrated the power and intent of the terrorist community. Schoenfeld continues, "That these same terrorists might attempt once again to hit targets in the American homeland was an obvious possibility" (Schoenfeld 21). These early attacks indicated how terrorists were evolving and how their attacks were escalating.

One major cause of the attacks was Muslim hatred of the United States and the call to jihad by Al Qaeda leaders. Jihad is the Islamic term for a "holy war" against an enemy. The Arab world viewed the United States as an enemy partly because Americans are "infidels" who do not believe in Islam, and partly because of American support for Israel. The Arab world considers Israel a violent usurper in the Middle East and blames the United States for supporting Israel and its tactics. One commentary on the attacks notes, "As a people, we condemn the narrow, authoritarian brand of Islamic fundamentalism that spawns those capable of such random and seemingly arbitrary slaughter" (Stone). Yet the Muslims who embraced this ideology felt justified in their attacks, viewing the United States as an enemy that must be eliminated. This hatred goes back many years and is not easily removed or understood. It is the underlying cause of the attacks, but of course, many other factors also contributed.

Many people blame lax security at the nation's airports and entry points as a direct cause of the attacks. As Schoenfeld notes, "Some has been directed at the Federal Aviation Administration and other bodies in charge of airport security, where laxity unquestionably ruled the day. Some has been aimed at our immigration authorities, for opening the door to virtually all comers" (Schoenfeld 21). Had security been more stringent, perhaps the hijackers would not have boarded the planes with their box cutters and knives — or entered the country at all.

Intelligence and Security Failures

Unfortunately, there was also a significant breakdown in intelligence information from the CIA and FBI. Schoenfeld continues, "Among other problems, we are told, the FBI lacked adequate authority to engage in electronic surveillance of suspected terrorists, while the CIA, thanks to a series of ill-guided 'reforms,' has been chronically weak in gathering human intelligence" (Schoenfeld 21).

All of these problems combined to create the conditions for the September 11 attacks. Yet, as writer Arthur notes, there was not one cause, nor even a variety of causes that can be blamed alone. It was a political situation that could not have been fully anticipated. America learned much from the events of September 11, as health expert Ruth S. Hanft observes in Stone's essay: "The United States has awakened to the fact it is no longer an island separated from world problems. We are as vulnerable as others to terrorist attacks, global warming, and anti-Western, ethnic, and religious turmoil" (Stone). The causes of the attacks were many, and so were the effects.

Effects: Death, Destruction, and the War on Terrorism

Many of the effects of the terrorist attacks were immediate. The country went into shock as it watched the World Trade Center twin towers collapse into rubble, and approximately 3,000 people died as a result of the attacks. "Some have said that this is not the same country it was on September 10, or that the world changed forever on September 11" (Lindberg 3). The death toll grew as victims in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania were added to the Trade Center totals, and the destruction in New York and Washington was immediately apparent. Manhattan shut down for several days, business and industry ground to a halt, and air traffic stopped across the country. People began to question how this happened and why. As one writer observes, "Once something catastrophic happens, we can see with perfect clarity what we 'should' have done. But not necessarily before the catastrophe, when the very things that it will turn out we should have done are competing with all the other things we might do or not do" (Lindberg 3).

The government's reaction to the terrorist attacks was swift. President George W. Bush quickly declared a "war on terrorism" that would hunt down those responsible and work to eliminate terrorist organizations. The initial military effort focused on Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding with his associates. Many of the Afghan terrorist camps were discovered and destroyed, and Afghanistan was eventually restored to a democratic government following the defeat of the Taliban, the Muslim extremist regime that had ruled the country with an iron fist for many years. Writer Arthur states, "One year later, Afghanistan has a new government, the United States has a new cabinet-level department, and whole regions of the world have taken on a new significance through their relation to the antiterrorism campaign" (Arthur).

Schoenfeld quotes another expert who states, "Terrorism is a risky, dangerous, and very disagreeable business; few people who have a reasonably good life will be inclined to get into it" (Schoenfeld 24). Extremists such as bin Laden, who do embrace it, do so with an alarming and frightening passion. In the aftermath of September 11, Americans learned far more about terrorists than they had known before, including how fanatical and obsessed terrorists can be about death and destruction in the name of jihad. Writer Lindberg captures the core difficulty: "The essential problem is that we are confronted by people willing to risk death in order to kill us (or even to go to certain death in order to kill us)" (Lindberg 3).

The war on terrorism eventually spread to the Middle East when President Bush sent troops into Iraq in March 2003, ostensibly to remove Saddam Hussein from power and reduce the threat posed by his alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However, no WMD were ever found, and much of the world began questioning why the United States attacked Iraq and what terrorist threat actually existed there. This decision significantly altered the way much of the world views the United States.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the causes of the September 11 terrorist attacks are many, and so are the effects. The attacks changed the world and made clear that all nations are vulnerable. As Representative James W. Symington states in Stone's essay, "September 11 taught us to doubt a little of our invulnerability. It reminded us, too, that the spirit of evil is no match for the human spirit" (Stone). Understanding the conditions that made September 11 possible remains essential if the country is to guard against future attacks. Let us hope that the human spirit described by Symington continues to prevail, that terrorism can someday be halted for good, and that the effects of September 11 can one day prove to be positive.

References

Arthur, Paige. "The September 11 Effect." Ethics & International Affairs. Volume 16, No. 2, 2002.

Jervis, Robert. "An Interim Assessment of September 11: What Has Changed and What Has Not?" Political Science Quarterly 117.1 (2002): 37+.

Lindberg, Tod. "September 11 & September 10." Policy Review (2001): 3.

Schoenfeld, Gabriel. "Could September 11 Have Been Averted?" Commentary Dec. 2001: 21+.

Stone, James. "September 11, 2001, and Beyond." Cosmos Club. 2002.