9/11 - Leadership and Strategy
9/11 (2001)
Famous for...
The hijacking of four American planes on September 11 2001 by the
Islamic extremist group, al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden -
- two crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York (the second crash is pictured
right)
- one crashed into the Pentagon (the American military headquarters in
Washington).
- another plane crashed in Pennsylvania, prevented from reaching the White House by
unarmed passengers.
2,978 from over 90 countries were killed.
9/11’s key moments
8.46 am
Flight 11 from Boston crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, New
York.
9.03 am
Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the South Tower.
9.37 am
Flight 77 from Washington crashes into the Pentagon.
10.03 am
Flight 93 from Newark, New Jersey, crashes in an open field in Shanksville,
Pennsylvania.
Pre-9/11 key events
1979
Iran overthrows the Shah (the king, pictured right) and becomes an Islamic
militant state.
Russia (then the Soviet Union) invades Afghanistan.
1989
Al-Qaeda defeats the Russians in Afghanistan after Russia’s invasion.
1991
The Gulf War after Iraq’s Saddam Hussein (pictured right) invades
Kuwait.
He is defeated by the West's forces:
- helped by moderate Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia.
1993
Islamic extremists bomb the underground garage of the World Trade Centre,
killing six people.
1998
Bombing of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224
people (including 12 Americans).
2000
Bombing of the American warship, Cole , near Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors.
Key people in 9/11
Osama bin Laden
Al-Qaeda leader from Saudi Arabia killed in his Pakistan home by an American commando raid in 2011.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Pakistani organizer of 9/11, captured in Pakistan in 2003 (pictured right soon after his arrest) .
19 suicide bombers
(in the four hijacked planes).
The rescuers (pictured
right)
New York firefighters, police and other rescuers.
George W.
Bush
American president from January 20 2001.
Rudy Giuliani
New York mayor (pictured right two months after 9/11), praised for his leadership of the rescue effort.
Why did it happen?
1. Al-Qaeda
Its leader, Osama bin Laden (pictured right):
- raised money (from his rich Saudi father and contributions from Middle Eastern
Arabs).
- armed and trained al-Qaeda troops (who defeated the Russians in
Afghanistan in 1989).
- went to Afghanistan in 1996 (where he supported the extremist Islamic
government, the Taliban)
After 9/11 the Taliban was overthrown
by the Americans and British at the start of the war in Afghanistan in October 2001.
- Bin Laden was killed by the Americans in 2011.
2. Islam
Al-Qaeda has seen its fight against the Russians and then the Americans as part of an Islamic holy war (or
jihad).
In 1998 bin Laden issued a religious order (or fatwa), telling Muslims it was their duty to
kill all Americans and their allies.
3. The Middle East
Arabs have been angry since in 1948:
- Palestine stopped being an independent state.
Israeli victories annoyed them even more – the:
These wars gave Israel control of:
- the Gaza Strip (full of Palestinians).
- Jerusalem (a holy city for Muslims as well as Jews and Christians).
Al-Qaeda wants to:
- remove American influence in the Middle East.
- destroy the state of Israel.
America:
- is pro-Israel (because of America's influential Jewish community).
- needs to keep friendly with Arab Middle Eastern countries (because
of its dependence on oil).
Results of 9/11
1. Ground Zero and human tragedy
The bombings flattened the World Trade Centre and its empty site was called Ground
Zero.
2,978 were killed by 9/11 including 343 firefighters.
Survivors were covered in dust (pictured right).
2. War on terror
9/11 shocked America, leading to:
- its paranoia about terrorism.
- torture of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
- President Bush’s (pictured right) “war on terror” against al-Qaeda and its
allies.
The war on terror resulted in the:
a) Afghanistan war
(overthrowing the pro-al-Qaeda Taliban government in October 2001)
b) Iraq war
(began by America and Britain in 2003)
This was particularly controversial because:
- it didn’t have United Nations support.
- the main reason for the war (the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass
destruction) were found not to exist.
3. Enormous expenditure
In 2011 the New York Times estimated the cost to America of 9/11 (including extra security and the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars) at $3.3 trillion.
This has led to problems in:
a) education
War has diverted money away from educational programmes in Islamic countries to
encourage people to turn away from extremism.
b) Arab relations
War alienated many Arabs and some Western countries
c) American defence
The expense of war has weakened America's potential military response to an extremist takeover of vital Islamic
states like:
- Pakistan (which has nuclear weapons).
4. More bombings
Bombings by Islamic extremists happen quite regularly, killing and wounding hundreds of people – for example,
in:
- London (on July 7 2005, known as 7/7).
5. Life changing experiences
9/11 forced its survivors (including the investment banker, Ari Schonbrun ,pictured
right), to re-examine their priorities, particularly valuing people instead of work.
Key quotes on terrorism
The City of New York and the United States of America is much stronger than any group of barbaric
terrorists,
- Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York (pictured right just after 9/11), on the day of the
attack.
Yes, I’m a terrorist, and I’m proud of it.
- Ramzi Yousef (pictured right), Pakistani leader of the 1993 World Trade Centre
bombing.
It is not a battle for global supremacy. It is a battle for hearts and minds.
- Jason Burke (on stopping Islamic terrorism in his 2003 book, Al-Qaeda).
I didn’t capture his death. I captured part of his life.
- Richard Drew (talking about his picture of a man falling from the World Trade Centre on
9/11). The picture was immediately withdrawn for being too horrific.
Key quote on ethics
We all have within us the power to say ‘No – I will not retaliate’, or ‘I will not
seek revenge'.
- Gill Hicks (who lost both her legs and nearly died in the London bombing) -
pictured right.
Key quotes about Osama bin Laden
O Lord, shatter their gathering, divide them among themselves, shake the earth under their feet and give us
control over them.
- Osama bin Laden (declaring a holy war, or jihad, against America in 1996).
We will find you and we will bring you to justice.
- President George W. Bush in 2006
(talking about Osama bin Laden - on May 1st 2011, announcing his death, President Barack Obama says “Justice has been done”).
Key quote on work
Before 9/11 my whole world was consumed by Wall Street. I still work hard, but work is no longer my first,
second and third priority.,
- Ari Schonbrun, 9/11 survivor.
Best book
Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon, 9/11 (2006) – a comic strip account of the terrible day.
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