9/11: The world has changed dramatically in 20 years

As in the aftermath of any particularly tragic event, also after the terrorist attack of September 11 2001, statements were often made in the public sphere that "the world will never be the same again", "history will be divided into 'before 9/11' and 'after 9/11'” and the like.

Now, 20 years later, we can assess the extent to which the predictions of the past have come true. Even though from a historical point of view, 20 years is a relatively short period of time, it is nevertheless sufficient to provide at least a preliminary assessment. At this point, of course, comes to mind the wonderful answer of Chinese reformer Deng Xiaoping to a question about the French Revolution on its 200th anniversary: "It is too early to say."

In my opinion, the changes in the world since 2001 have been significant, but not as expected at the time. At the turn of the millennium, the United States was at the zenith of its global power after its triumphant victory in the Cold War at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Over the next decade, global leadership between the United States and the West only strengthened. Russia was weak, the former debris and satellites of the USSR tried to join Western structures as quickly as possible and be as far away from the former metropolis as possible. Although rapidly developing, China was seen as a technological equipment assembly (but not development) workshop that does not pose a threat to the West but is an economically viable partner.

If the question to be answered today is whether the 9/11 terrorists achieved their goal, then the short answer is - more yes than no. The US position in the world is now significantly weaker than it was 20 years ago. August 15 in Kabul is the clearest proof of this. To be honest, it should be noted that Osama bin Laden's followers did not achieve this goal through some correct and purposeful long-term strategy, but through a consistently wrong strategy by the US.

Where were the US strategists wrong? 9/11 surprised not only the United States but also the whole world with its cruelty. Especially the Western world. Almost 3,000 people died. There was a global consensus that the United States has every right to severely punish those responsible for this terrorist attack. The UN Security Council unreservedly sanctioned the US invasion of Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden was hiding at the time, and the overthrow of the Taliban regime there. The occupation of Afghanistan began in October of the same year and has only just ended. To call things the way they are - with a shameful defeat and a chaotic escape from Kabul, leaving those who had believed in the Americans and thought that the "new order" would last for a long time in the hands of fate, that is - the Taliban.

At the time, in 2001, it seemed like the United States would quickly destroy Al Qaeda's hotspots in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East, and everything would be back to how it should be. But riding on a wave of military hysteria and War on Terror, George W. Bush's latest neocon administration, led by Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and Paul Wolfowitz, squeezed support from the US Congress and much of NATO (but not the UNSC) for an invasion of Iraq.

Today, this invasion is considered a mistake that triggered many further events not only in the world (if the US can do it, then why not others?) and the Middle East (the Arab Spring, the Islamic State, the collapse of Syria), but mainly in the United States itself. It can even be said that Trump's coming to power is an indirect consequence of Bush's gamble. Trump's isolationism and the popularity of the slogan "America first" are based on the disappointment of the American society in Bush's efforts to reshape the world in the image and resemblance of the United States.

The world is constantly moving forward, evolving, but that does not mean that the path chosen is always the right one and leads to a better future. The Russian Socialist Revolution of 1917 was extremely progressive and innovative at the time. The fact that this revolutionary path under Stalin's leadership in the late 1920s turned around and went in the direction of blatant reactionism and archaism is another story, but also from a historical perspective, it is difficult to assume that Russia was on the right track in 1920. It was a hasty move that later cost Russia and the world dearly.

Historically, we see that the horrific 9/11 terrorist attack, like pushing a railroad switch, has forced the United States to move to other tracks, from which they can no longer get off. Or rather, they try to get off by changing course willy-nilly, but by doing so they drive even further into the "jungle" of chaos. The growing polarization of US society, the sharp tilt of the intellectual elite to the left, BLM, being woke, CRT (critical race theory), cancel culture also indicate a very severe moral disorientation in American society. The anger and undisguised hatred of people rushing to persecute anyone who has said something wrong in the name of progress and humanism shows that there is no humanism, tolerance or even minimal empathy here. Unfortunately, this intolerance, hatred, and willingness to tear everyone who thinks and acts differently are common not only in the United States but also in our country and elsewhere in the world. It is worrying, as it indicates a growing storm.

This mess creates a feeling of anxiety, insecurity, which always appears when you have lost a sense of direction and wander in uncharted waters. America, which has always been a citadel of democracy, liberalism and capitalism, now feels obviously confused as it enters the foreign socialist territory. Donald Trump is also a product of this chaos, as Hillary Clinton had gone too far in her left-wing rhetoric, and her nomination as a Democratic presidential candidate created a situation in which any sane American patriot felt like he had no choice.

Therefore, in order not to repeat the 2016 scenario in 2020, a person of a very respectable age had to be nominated for the presidency. The nomination of such an experienced politician to the highest public office always indicates a serious crisis in society, which must be silenced by the use of an elderly politician as a guarantee that no sharp movements will be made and a certain political continuity will be maintained. This was the case in Germany in the interwar period with Paul von Hindenburg, in France in 1940 with Philippe Pétain, in Italy in 2005 with Giorgio Napolitano.

Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 elections should mean that until 2024 America will remain the same as it was in the previous hundred years. Namely, the world leader in democracy, freedom and capitalism. Whether this will happen is difficult to judge at the moment. It is even more difficult to predict what will happen after 2024 because you can never know where the road will take us after the next turn.

To make the scene seem less depressing, optimists can be called upon who respond to similar concerns by saying that the United States has been in difficult situations many times, but has always landed on its feet like a cat; came out even stronger out of each crisis. This was the case after the Civil War of 1861-1865, this was the case after the Great Depression of 1929-1933, this was the case after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 9, 1941, this was the case after the Vietnam War, and so it will be now, after 9/11 and Trump.

Honestly, I would like it to turn out to be true and for the United States to be as strong and powerful again as it was in 2001, when it was the United States and G. Bush's strong support (as opposed to the passive disinterest of European countries) that allowed Latvia to become a member of NATO, so that now we can look at what is happening in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia or elsewhere in the former USSR and Eastern Europe territories with a much calmer mind.

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