9/11: Historic Turning Point, or Bump in the Road?

For many, 9/11 marked a turning point in history, for both the US and the world. Initially, the world came together in condemning the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But eventually, some analysts suggested the attacks resulted from the US ignoring the plight of marginalized people, and other analysts claimed that the US had appeased Islamic fundamentalism for too long and needed to introduce democracy to countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Historian Brendan Simms suggests that analysis and understanding of the 9/11 attacks may require many more years. He also offers the reminder that major events are often transitory when compared to ongoing cultural or economic phenomenon, such as the invention of the automobile. In the end, despite cataclysmic events, the citizens of any nation hold some measure of control over both their response to tragic events as well as their own destiny. – YaleGlobal