Causes and Effects of the 9/11 Attacks on the World Trade Center - Admission/Application Essay Example

Causes and Effects of the 9/11 Attacks on the World Trade Center The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center was one of the most highly devastating and perhaps the worst episode of American history after the Civil War and the World Wars. The death of almost 3,000 innocent civilians and the over $5 trillion worth of damage of property was even an understatement compared to the grief shared by the people of the world not only for the death of their loved ones but for the triumph of evil and terrorism (Schwartz; September 11). Certainly, the causes of this heart-wrenching disaster must be known as well as the effects that it has brought us. Causes The most plausible cause of the 9/11 attacks was Osama Bin Laden’s “flawed strategic reasoning” (Bergen). This “flawed strategic reasoning” is most probably Bin Laden’s own personal interpretation of the various instances when the United States forces withdrew from several countries and after several U.S. servicemen were killed in Lebanon and Mogadishu even 20 years before. Perhaps, Bin Laden thought that the United States would just naturally withdraw or be defeated if they are continually pounded by attacks. Another possible explanation why Al Qaeda launched their attacks on the World Trade Center was the belief of Osama Bin Laden that the root cause of all threats against the destruction of Islam was not the “near enemy” – the corrupt regimes of the Middle East – but the “far enemy,” which is the United States itself. The accusation against the United States was that it was the one that disrupted the status quo system in the Middle East (Bergen). A third possible cause of the 9/11 attacks was Osama Bin Laden’s own political strategy of using terrorism as a “shortcut to transforming the political landscape” (Bergen). Perhaps, Bin Laden knew that there were other ways to resolve the matter of conflict between the United States and the Arab world but he may have also thought that the most decisive was the planned attacks on the World Trade Center. Based on the 9/11 Commission Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Bin Laden himself machinated the idea of the plane crashes by appointing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, or KSM, to organize all the plane operations (The 9/11 Commission Report 215). A fourth possible explanation for the 9/11 attacks was perhaps Osama Bin Laden’s own response against the support that the United States has given to Israel especially when the United States helped Israel invade southern Lebanon in 1982. In fact, this particular event instilled in Bin Laden an extreme Anti-Americanism that may have caused him to urge his people to boycott American products. He may also have been enraged by the American occupation of Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein bombed Kuwait in 1990 (Bergen). Another possible cause of the 9/11 attacks was perhaps Osama Bin Laden’s answer to the alienation and discrimination that the Muslims experienced in America during the time of the terror. Perhaps, it was actually the two key planners of the attacks – Ramzi bin al Shibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – who were actually living in the west. In a particular study examining the biographies of the 79 worst terrorists in history, one in four of them has been studying in the west when he carried out his terrorism. As for Bin Laden, he might have taken advantage of the negative circumstances that both key attack planners were going through the attacks. Still, another possible cause of the 911 attacks was perhaps Osama Bin Laden’s response to the perceived humiliation of the Islamic world. Three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Al Jazeera TV has broadcasted Bin Laden saying “What America is tasting now is something insignificant compared to …[the] humiliation and this degradation [that the Islamic world has tasted] for 80 years…” (Bergen). In short, the attacks on the World Trade Center were nothing but mere revenge, hatred and grudge towards the United States for all the negative treatment that the Muslims experienced under American policies. Another reason why the 9/11 attacks took place could be Osama Bin Laden’s own version of the jihad in his defense of Islam. He himself said that “his war was about the defense of Islam” (Bergen). This somehow not only blurs the real issue, his true intentions and the real meaning of Islam but also somehow adds more power to him and more justification to his terrorist causes. Moreover, the fact that he addresses the Koran in all his preaching somehow gives Islamic legitimacy to his own terrorist attacks. The last of the probable causes of the 9/11 terror was the radicalization caused by the founding of the Al Qaeda group in 1988 and their possible motive of bringing the jihad not only to the countries they have previously defeated but to the United States as well. During the Afghan War, the followers of Osama Bin Laden have fought against the Soviet Union and this group of followers may have turned into a militant bloodthirsty group that were bent on wreaking havoc in America in 2001 (Bergen). Effects The most devastating and the most direct effect of the 9/11 terror attacks was the death of 2,726 people, both from the planes that crashed, from those inside the World Trade Center, and from other separate affected areas. The grief that the death toll has caused was beyond words and this may even be a mere understatement. Not only was the damage borne by American citizens but also by Hispanics, Asians, Blacks and many other nationalities who were (Schwartz). Another effect that the 9/11 attacks caused was the stress that it had caused all those who have seen or heard about it. It created a worry in 47% of all American parents who claimed that their children were worried about “their own safety or the safety of loved ones” (Schuster et al. 1511). there were also trauma-related symptoms in several people as well as trauma-related psychiatric disorders among those who already had a preexisting disease (Schuster et al. 1511). Although some of this stress may have already diminished, the trauma-related stress disorders may have persisted up until now. The environment was also affected by the 9/11 terror. Upon the collapse of the World Trade Center, there was a release of fire, asbestos, dust particles, pulverized cement, glass, acrid smoke, and other toxic materials like mercury, lead, polyvinyl chloride, copper, ethers, and petroleum products (Nordgren et al. 3). The 9/11 Commission Report has also enumerated and emphasized a number of positive lessons that have been learned from the attacks on the World Trade Center. Perhaps, the most significant effect that the 9/11 attacks have brought us is thet awareness level that America and the whole world have learned from the horrors of terrorism, which made them more conscious about the means to deal with these things in case they happen again in the future. One of such measures is the strengthening of national security in order for it to be able to adjust instantly to threats that may arise quickly (The 9/11 Commission Report 362). Another step would be to recognize the non-involvement of the Islam religion in the conflict (363). If this step is not taken then, more wars may be waged in the name of the Islamic religion, justified or otherwise. Lastly, there must be a strengthening of the various aspects of national power especially diplomacy, intelligence, covert action, homeland defense, economic policy, law enforcement and many other areas of the government (363-364). This strategy will definitely involve a so-called “coalition strategy,” where America asks all the nations including the Arab countries to fight against terrorism (364). The goal is rather clear and straightforward: “Defeat terrorism anywhere in the world” (364). Based on the causes of the 9/11 attacks mentioned, it is clear that Osama Bin Laden was largely responsible for the execution of the evil plans that materialized on September 11, 2001. Moreover, he seems to have cleverly carried out these plans while using history and religion to justify his cause. The results were horrible and devastating: deaths of nearly 3000 people, trillions of dollars in damage, psychological stress and environmental pollution. The only good thing, however, is that national security has been improved and an international coalition strategy has been forged among nations in order to combat terrorism. Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited Bergen, Peter. “What were the causes of 9/11?” 2006. Prospect. 23 Nov 2012. Nordgren, M. D., Goldstein, E. A. & Izeman, M. A. “The Environmental Impacts of the World Trade Center Attacks.” 2002. NRDC. Print. Schuster, Mark A., Bradley D. Stein & Lisa H. Jaycox. “A National Survey of Stress Reactions after the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks.” 2001. New England Journal of Medicine, 345:20 (1507-1512). Schwartz, S. P. “Deaths in World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks – New York City, 2001.” 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 24 Nov 2012. September 11: How much did 9/11 cost the US?” 2011. Al Jazeera. 24 Nov 2012. The 9/11 Commission Report.” 2001. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Print. Read More