The events of 9/11 in new york city & the global war on terrorism

The disastrous events of 9/11 have helped shape the world into what it is today. During the fateful morning of September 11th, 2001, the American Airlines Flight 11 aircraft was hijacked in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, and The Pentagon in New York City. The 19 hijackers flew the plane into the buildings and the impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story World Trade Centre skyscraper. As for The Pentagon, the plane crashed into the west side of the building and killed a total of hundred of civilians. This catastrophe resulted in approximately over 6, 000 casualties.

One of the reasons why the 9/11 attacks are significant to history is because it initiated wars. A month following the historic event, U. S. troops invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to dismantle a terrorist group that claimed to be responsible for the attacks. Two years later, the United States invaded Iraq and deposed of their president, Saddam Hussein. Although not directly linked to the attacks, Hussein was suspected of producing weapons of mass destruction. This plane hijacking was a key part of America’s newly launched War on Terror, under the leadership of former President George Bush.

The Global War on Terrorism, is an international military campaign that was launched by the United States government. Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan, which continues today, has turned into the longest-running war in U. S. history. The aftermath of this string of events resulted in great change over a long period of time. Another reason of significance would be that it prompted a wave of heavy airline security. The changes mainly affected airline securities. Examples of this would be the long lines due to bias at the airport, full body scans, and pat downs. Prior to the colour-coded security threat warnings, pat downs were rare, liquids were allowed, and any knives with a blade up to four inches long were permitted. In fear for the safety of their passengers, airlines worldwide heighted their security rates dramatically.

Although advocates argue that the changes have made air travel safer, the additional security steps have also tacked on quite a significant amount of travel time for the average passenger, while sometimes infringing on privacy rights and, in many cases, increasing the surveillance of minority travelers, especially those originating from the Middle Eastern descent. The heavy security checks can be viewed as a positive change, since the risks of hijackings have decreased worldwide. Finally, the aftermath of 9/11 completely changed surveillance and security in the U. S. The government forces began to believe that their security measures were weak and prone to attacks.

Since the terrorists were so successful in getting into the systems, it led the United States to abandon their core principals. By taking countermeasures, federal agencies were rumoured to have been placing bugs and keeping track of their user’s phone records. In January 2006, Mark Klein provided newfound evidence that the National Security Agency, with the cooperation of AT&T, was illegally transferring American citizens’ internet usage and funneling it into a database. The documents shown in court caused an uprising of liberal lawsuits against the government and AT&T. Administration authorities later investigated how many people in the U. S have had their communications “ reviewed” by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The number that was processed claimed to be “ not reasonably possible” to determine.

The government initially refused to admit the lists of people, for whom they had inspected, existed. Ultimately, the events of 9/11 will forever hold a place in history due to the permanent changes and consequences that it has ensued. The plane hijacking caused the Global War on Terrorism, of which resulted in a countless amount of deaths. The airport security increase was also a major change, because they went from a low level of security to top notch. Not to be forgotten, is the monitored cell phone or electronic communication devices being bugged by the government, in hopes of finding evidence for future crimes. The tragedy of the skyscrapers on 9/11, made a huge impact on our world today.