Remember 9/11

My name is Erin Morioka and I am a senior majoring in international relations on the politics, culture and identity track. I took conflict and cooperation in international politics (PS40) my sophomore year and gained a basic understanding of the mainstream theories of international relations (liberalism, realism, and radicalism). I enrolled in this course because I wanted engage in a more detailed study of the historical events, philosophies, and theories that make up the discipline of IR, in addition to the major figures (Kant, Machiavelli) whose works are able to provide a lens for the way that we view the world today. My hope is that this course will deepen my understanding of the causes behind the major crises that our generation faces such as war, terrorism, disease, poverty, and global warming and the ways in which actors such individuals, states, and international organizations can work together to alleviate humanity’s suffering.

In response to the question, “Should we forget 9/11?” I would argue that we should not. The first reason that we should not forget 9/11 is that in doing so we would dishonor the memory of the 2,973 American and foreign nationals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks, not to mention the firemen and policemen who bravely served in their efforts to save them. The tragic loss of so many lives is an event that must remain within the national consciousness, not only for the sake of the people who lost loved ones, but because of the affront that it was to each and every citizen of the United States. As such an affront, it challenged each citizen to consider the extent to which he/she would be willing to sacrifice individual civil liberties for the sake of preserving internal national order. The second reason that we must not forget 9/11 is that it served as a wake-up call for America as a nation. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the victory of the coalition forces in the Gulf War, the U.S. developed a false sense of invincibility which was challenged after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The 9/11 attacks showed the American people that no nation, no matter how great its wealth or military strength, can fully insulate itself from external threats. Despite the current administration’s decision to act to the contrary, I believe that this was a lesson to our nation in the foolishness of espousing an isolationist foreign policy (such as in the WWII era) and the need for an adept foreign policy which values international organizations such as the UN in order to gain feedback and support in decision-making on salient issues.

The third reason that we must not forget 9/11 is for what it revealed to the American people about the changing trends in the international system in regards to war. The terrorist acts of 9/11 challenged the existing definition of war as a battle between two states over territory or access to resources. The 9/11 terrorist attacks resembled guerrilla warfare-type tactics rather than those of traditional warfare, especially seeing that the culprits were not sponsored by any one state but were scattered in training camps and residences throughout the world. Not only this, but it shed light upon the increasing role of religion and culture as the key sources of fuel for future conflicts. After all, the criticisms that Osama bin Laden proffered against the United States were not only economic in nature but also cultural, in the U.S.’s irreverence for the upholding of Muslim beliefs and statutes. Many scholars would argue that the acts of al Qaeda were not only efforts to stave off Western influence but also efforts to influence the world-at-large in non-Western ways. By recognizing the changing nature of war itself and the justifications behind it, it is important that the U.S. make several adaptations in order to ensure its preservation. First, it must strengthen its alliances within the Western camp, knowing that the Middle Eastern/Islamic countries will be doing the same within their camp. Second, it must acquire a basic understanding of non-Western perspectives and trace of commonalities within these societies for the purpose of encouraging peaceful coexistence.

Posted by Erin Morioka on September 17, 2007 04:39 PM | Permalink

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