3.2.1 Immediate Reaction
Soon after he came back to the White House in the evening of September 11,
President George W. Bush spoke to the nation and the world. After offering
his sympathy to the American victims -in the USA, only the American victims
are worth mentioning, the others are just statistics- the President said
that all the military, financial, and diplomatic resources of the country
would be mobilised to punish the terrorists responsible for the attacks,
as well as the people and countries helping them. He went on to say that
Osama bin Laden was the man responsible for the terrorist actions although
he offered no proof for it at that stage.
The American people were traumatised but the Bush administration, by its decisions, actions, and words, did not do anything to at least reduce this unhealthy fear, quite the opposite. Security became the key word that justified any measures even the most exaggerated ones. All the foreigners became suspect and treated with diffidence.
A summary of the measures taken to "reinforce" security is given
below:
- In October 2001 President Bush created a new department of "Homeland
Security" whose head will be a member of his cabinet.
- On Friday January 18, the US decided that all the travellers' bags must
be checked for explosives at all US airports. Confusion and delays followed.
The costs of the secondary measures taken after September 11 soon exceeded
the direct cost of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington
DC.
- At the beginning of 2002 the FBI was given authority to carry surveillance
in Mosques and other religious buildings in the USA, and to check the Internet
for signs of criminal activities. The FBI was also in the process of being
reorganised from a crime-solving organisation into a domestic intelligence
agency aimed at preventing terrorist attacks.
- In June 2002 President Bush and the US Justice Department decided to photograph
and fingerprint visitors from "high-risk" countries to reduce
the risk of terrorism. Of course, the visitors implied are those from Iraq,
Iran, Libya, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea, Syria and, probably, Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan although they are Washington's allies. This measure applies
to people wanting to stay more than 30 days. The State Department objected
because this procedure, limited to the citizens of some countries, will
tarnish the image of the US abroad, but to no avail. The American Muslim
groups complained that this is a clear discrimination against the Muslins
and Arabs, adding that they would accept the measure if it was applied to
all the visitors to the US.
- On January 24, 2003, the USA admitted that the FBI was questioning as
many as 50,000 Iraqis living in the US in a search for possible terrorist
cells, spies, and people who could provide useful information.
-
September 11 had a tremendous effect on the American people. It also hit
hard most of the people outside the USA, but they reacted in a more reasonable
and balanced way. The American people saw the attacks as a threat to their
way of life which they take for granted. Its aftermath opened the prospect
of an entirely new world order based on progressive internationalisation
of all the problems, crossing old ideological frontiers, and reviving old
enmities. It also united most countries in the fight against terrorism.
However, it was far from certain that those countries backing international
actions against al-Qaida and terrorism would accept the broader plan of
pre-emptive actions immediately suggested by the US. There are powerful
elements in the US that want to act in isolation from, rather than in cooperation
with, other nations. President Bush is part of them.
In which direction the near future would go was, to some extent, in the hands of all countries; but only if they understood the new global American politics. The countries that chose to sit back cynically, predicting gloom and doom, would miss this opportunity. The pieces of the new political world would soon begin to fall down into new configurations. During this time, people were living through a defining period; it was necessary to accept change, and even to ask for more of it, whatever the change will be.
Being an ally of the US should not mean renouncing to its own views. As an example we should look at Britain that developed good relations with Iran, Syria and Cuba, reopened its embassy in Libya, established diplomatic relations with North Korean, and backed the Kyoto treaty on climate change all of this against the wishes of the USA. However, there are certain risks, and each country must be careful not to become the servant of the USA. Here again the example of Britain is useful and clear. Later on Britain decided to join the USA in the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq without clarifying in advance the terms and the limits of its participation. The experience has shown that, in this case, Britain became subject to the US' will.
The question is "How can we improve international unity following September 11 in order to create a new world order shaped by our values -of democracy, human rights, environmental protection, equality and justice, solidarity and community improvement?" The Western governments have been criticised for not doing more in every country where human rights are under attack. But because a country cannot do everything, it does not follow that it should do nothing. In the past, most nations tried to shape their economy and their society on their national scale. The aim was to make economic forces work for all their citizens, rather than simply for an elite; to establish high minimum standards of welfare and public services; and to entrench human rights and democracy. Now our task must be to shape the economy and society on a global international scale.
3.2.2 Some Confusion?
It is now a common belief outside the US but also, although at a much lower
extend, in America itself that President Bush and his closest collaborators'
actions, words and behaviour may be doing more to terrify the American citizens
rather that the al-Qaida terrorists.
In June 2002, many members of the US Congress were accusing the Bush administration for continuously telling the American public that it has credible information that terrorists are planning to repeat the September 11 attacks on the US soil. All these messages, according to these Congressmen, were for political reason, to try to insure the Republican victory in the following November mid-term elections, as well as to improve the chance of Mr Bush being re-elected in 2004.
National security is used to hide what the government wants to keep hidden. The Bush Administration cannot be trusted because of its contempt of civil liberties and law. The way the Guantanamo Bay prisoners are treated, the continuous threats to attack all nations whose politics are deemed to be directed against the interests of the US, the imprisonment without trial of any person thought to act against the same US interests, will lead to international instability and will encourage other nations to do the same. This is not leadership; these tactics aiming to scare the population are based on political calculations. Some fortitude and calm resolve are needed in Washington; emphasising America's vulnerability and short sighting will only help the terrorists.
Here are only a few examples:
- In June 2002 the State Department said that the US had reliable information
that Cuba is developing biological weapons, and that it is exporting dual-use
technology to Iran, where it could be used for germ warfare. The evidences
were not made public, of course, so we could only take the information on
"trust"! Nothing came out of it and the accusation was forgotten.
- The US authorities at the highest level warned that there would be a terrorist
attack on Independence Day, July 4, 2002. It is true that, on that date,
an Egyptian limousine-driver, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, living in the US but
born in Cairo, killed two people and wounded many others at the El-Al checking
desk at Los Angeles Airport. Hadayet had many arguments with his neighbours
because he did not like them flying American flags. He went to the airport
with a pistol, a handgun, and a hunting knife. He had an argument with an
El Al ticket agent, and shot her in the chest. He also fired many other
bullets, before being killed by a security guard. As a result there will
now be armed security guards at all checking counters in the US although
there was no terrorist involvement. The local police were treating it as
a hate crime.
- In another accident the same day, a few people were killed when a small
plane went down in a park where many people had gathered for the holiday.
There too, there was no evidence of any terrorist link, and the police treated
it as an accident. The majority of the ordinary people were more intelligent
that their politicians and spent the holiday enjoying themselves as usual
in these occasions, although the security had been stepped up.
- Now after July 4 was gone without any terrorist attacks, the US authorities
said that bin Laden and al-Qaida were planning spectacular attacks on the
US, Great Britain, and Israel around September 11, 2002.
- It was decided that 500,000 US health workers would be vaccinated against
smallpox.
- John Ashcroft, the Attorney General, accused Jose Padilla, known also
as Abdullah al-Muhajir, to plan attacking the US with a "dirty"
nuclear Bomb. A closer look showed that there was no realistic plan to build
such a bomb, that it was still, at the worse, in the initial stage of discussion,
and that Abdullah al-Muhajir can only be accused of talking. Even the White
House had to intervene and say that Ashcroft's assertion was pure non-sense.
Abdullah was refused access to a lawyer and a public hearing so we will
not know if there was any evidence. He is to be kept in complete isolation
indefinitely!! This is what the Americans call justice in the so-called
"Land of the Free"?
- On September 13, 2002, three students in medicine from Illinois (a Jordanian,
a Pakistani and an Iranian) jokingly boasted in a Shoney's restaurant in
Calhoun, Georgia, that they were preparing a terrorist attack in Florida.
A waitress heard them, and told the police. They were arrested on the Interstate
75 near Naples, Florida. This lead to some panic, and the road was closed
for many hours.
- The US Congressmen do not need to fear biological weapons any more. All
have received a "yellow bag" to put over their head in case of
chemical or biological attack. The manufacturers guaranty full protection
for a period from 2 minutes to one hour against anthrax, sarin, and other
chemicals and germs. No protection was offered to the postal workers who
were in first line when the previous anthrax attack occurred, leading to
five deaths. If that makes the Congress happy!!
- At the beginning of November 2002, Tom Ridge, the US Home Security chief,
requested US customs access abroad to all vessels directed to the US to
help prevent terrorists smuggling weapons of mass destruction to the US.
Soon they will want to control not only our ships, but also what we are
thinking. But perhaps they are already doing it.
- All the men over 16 years old from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Syria,
who entered the USA after September 11, 2001, have been fingerprinted and
photographed when they cleared immigration. Now all men of the same countries
who entered the US before that date must register with the Immigration and
Naturalisation service where the same information will be taken. This rule
regards non-resident aliens and does not apply to permanent residents -those
with a green cards-, or to the naturalised citizens.
- The US Administration will make smallpox vaccine available to all Americans,
probably in 2004, to protect them against a bio-terrorist attack. All military
personal will be vaccinated first, then it will be available to about 500,000
emergency workers and, finally, to the civilians on a voluntary basis. Even
President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, will be vaccinated.
Two weeks later we were told that President Bush did not suffer any side
effect! Is this not an important news?
- On December 14, 2002, the FBI Director, Robert Mueller, said that about
100 terrorist attacks against the USA and its allies have been foiled since
September 11, 2001. These "success" were due, in large part, to
the information obtained through the interrogations of captured terrorists.
He did not give any details, but warned that many potential terrorists are
still at large in the USA.
- At the same time, President Bush gave the CIA the authorisation to kill
about 24 named terrorists anywhere in the world, if capture is not possible.
If this is not terrorism in itself and interference in foreign countries,
what is it?
- The US administration said that the terrorists will "inevitably"
acquire weapons of mass destruction, and that they will use them, not only
against the US, but also against some western countries. It is obvious that
this is possible, but there is no proof that the statement is based on clear
evidence. The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, added that Iraq, Iran,
Syria, Libya and North Korea were developing such weapons, and were ready
to give them to terrorist organisations. On the other hand, it is a fact
that the US has the largest number of these weapons in the world. Colin
Powell, the Secretary of States, went further saying, "No nation has
the luxury of remaining on the sidelines, because there are no sidelines".
The same sources maintained that even the Statue of Liberty in New York
City was threatened, and that the terrorists could store explosives in big
apartment houses to blow them up.
Not everything is perfect in the USA:
- On December 29, 2002, the FBI was looking for five illegal immigrants
of Arab ancestry who were thought to have entered in the USA the week before,
probably with false British passports. We were not told what the five men
(Abid Noraiz Ali, Iftikhar Khozmai Ali, Mustafa Khan Owasi, Adil Pervez
and Akbar Jamal) are suspected of, but they must be important since the
FBI has asked the population to help locate them. The next day the media
said that they could be linked to al-Qaida. On January 7, 2003, the FBI
stopped the search after they found that it was a hoax!
- Tampa Airport was closed for at least one hour on Tuesday January 14,
2003 and all the people evacuated because a suspicious parcel was found.
Later on, it was found that the bag belonged to the security people; moreover,
the bag was filled with substances to test their security equipment. So
much for American efficiency!!
- The US government created a fund to compensate the relatives of the victims
of the attacks. They now have the choice to accept the proposed compensation,
or sue the authorities. On December 22, 2003, most families (95%) of the
victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks have applied for compensation
from the government fund renouncing to sue the airlines. As usual, some
dishonest people tried to cash in. For instance, but they are not the only
cases, three people said to have died in the terrorist attack on the World
Trade Centre have been found alive in 2002. On September 17, 2003, Cyril
Kendall who has 12 children was jailed for 11 to 33 years by an US Court
for inventing a 13th son said to be killed in attack. He was hoping to get
$160,000. Four of his children who testified that they had a brother called
Wilfred may also be prosecuted. The official number of people killed in
the attacks is now 2,792 plus the 19 hijackers.
- The level of intelligence of the American people is best shown by the
adverts appearing on US newspapers at the beginning of January 2003. One
of them maintains that those who own a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) help
the terrorists. All this because these cars use a lot of petrol, and since
the main oil producing countries are in the Arab world ... Last year, adverts
aiming to discourage drug use were saying that the drug trade profits went
to terrorists.
- On January 9, 2003, the USA admitted that the country's defences against
bio-terrorism were limited. There are few vaccines or treatments available
to protect against some of Iraq's germ weapons (if they has any, but now
everything devil is linked to Iraq). The production of vaccines to protect
people against the effect of biological weapons has been hampered by lack
of money from the government. Without drug companies producing the required
drugs, the USA remains in danger, and these companies act only if paid.
This has left holes in the defence against nerve poison, botulinum toxin,
plague bacteria, and virus that cause brain infection.
- On January 16, 2003, the Bush administration said that the smallpox vaccinations
could start the following week. However, two health care unions asked to
delay the vaccinations because there is no money to compensate the people
hurt by the vaccine.
- On July 22, 2004, The Guardian revealed that the US missed to prevent,
detect, or disturb the September 11, 2001, attacks at least on ten occasions,
four during the Clinton administration and six under Bush. These are part
of the conclusions of the US Senate commission of inquiry that did not go
so far as saying that the attacks could have been prevented.
- On August 3, 2004, we were told that the surveillance by al Qaida of five
financial institutions that led to a terrorism alert occurred, most if not
all, more than three years ago, if not before. The authorities do not know
if the surveillance has since continued except that one piece of information
on one building appears to have been updated as late as January 2004. However
the information about the buildings in Washington, New York and Newark can
be obtained through the Internet or other "open sources" available
to the general public. But even three-year-old intelligence, when coupled
with other information, could have justified the massive security response
in the three cities. Other buildings -such as the Bank of America building
in San Francisco; the Nasdaq and American Stock Exchange buildings in New
York- were vaguely mentioned in the seized computer files. In consequence
it was decided not to issue alerts about them. President Bush and Vice President
Cheney said that the new alert underscores the continuing threat posed by
al Qaida. Employees at the possible targets in New York and New Jersey arrived
at work yesterday with a mix of defiance and fear.
3.2.3 The inquiries
It is obvious that there will be many inquiries into the September 11, 2001,
attacks but, unfortunately, they will not be coordinated.
- The first official technical inquiry in the collapse of the World Trade
Centre towers in New York City concluded, at the beginning of 2002, that
the impact of the planes, fully loaded with fuel, created very strong fires
while the water pipes were cut, cutting off the sprinkler system, and making
the fire fighters' hoses useless. It was the effect of the fires burning
out of control, rather than the force of the impact, that caused the towers
to collapse. The temperature reached 1,100 degrees Celsius when the 10,000
gallons of fuel contained in each plane burned. The south tower fell before
the north tower -that had been hit first- because the heat insulation in
the later one had been improved recently.
- In the first days of June 2002, while the US Congress launched a close-doors
hearings to try to find what went wrong in the intelligence world, the FBI
and the CIA were doing their best to accuse each other for failing to prevent
the September 11, 2001, attack. It seems that the CIA knew about two al-Qaida
suspects -who later were aboard American Airlines flight 77 that crashed
into the Pentagon- but failed to inform the FBI when they moved into the
US, where the FBI is competent. President Bush went as far as agreeing that
the CIA and the FBI made some mistakes, but he also said that this had been
taken care off and corrected. According to him, nothing could have prevented
the attack given the information available. Not many people, and certainly
not the media, agree with him. The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, claimed
that his government had told Washington of an imminent attack the week before
September 11. An Egyptian secret agent who was in touch with Osama bin Laden's
organisation obtained this information that did not include any details
of the plot. Nothing was done with it.
- Obviously the accusations that the CIA, FBI, Coast Guards, Immigration
Service, etc. did not do a good job to prevent the September 11 attacks
could be true. Everyday more information is given to the public, including
an open letter written by a woman working for the FBI stating that she tried
to investigate some of the future terrorists responsible for the attacks,
and was told not to do anything.
- On November 27, 2002, President Bush put Henry Kissinger in charge of
a commission of enquiry. The main question was "why the FBI and the
CIA did not know anything about it in advance?" The commission was
given 18 months to complete its work. It was composed of Republican and
democrat politicians, and has the full backing of President Bush. Ex-Democrat
Senator George Mitchell is the vice chairman. However both men resigned
around December 13, 2002. Kissinger was not a very popular choice because
of his involvement with President Nixon's illegal behaviour in the past.
Both him and George Mitchell said that there were some conflicts of interest
between their job and this enquiry.
- On Monday December 16, 2002, President Bush replaced Kissinger and Mitchell
as chairman and vice-chairman of the committee with the Ex-governor of New
Jersey, Thomas Kean (Republican, chairman), and Lee Hamilton a former US
representative from Indiana (Democrat) as his deputy. The other members
are:
. The Republicans Jim Thompson (former governor of Illinois), Fred Fielding
(Former counsel to President Reagan), John Lehman (former Navy secretary)
and Slade Gorton (former US senator from Washington).
. The Democrats Cleland (outgoing US senator from Georgia), Timothy Roemer
(Outgoing representative from Indiana), Jamie Gorelick (former deputy attorney
general) and Richard Ben-Veniste (former minority chief counsel to the Senate
Whitewater Committee).
- The worst possible news about what really happened during the rescue operations
was made public by the commission of the US Congress. They revealed -May
18, 2004- that rivalry between New York's police and firemen, as well as
bad communication between them, prevented to save lives.
- On August 27, 2003, an US court of law decided that the last words of
the September 11, 2001, victims must be released to the public. Some families
are strongly opposed while others agree to it. There is about 260 hours
of recording, some of it very personal. The documents show the police force
coming to grip with the enormity of the situation, as well as the call for
help of people trapped in the buildings. The people in the south tower were
told, 15 minutes before it was hit, to stay there after a plane flew into
the north tower.
On September 17, 2003, President Bush declared that there was no evidence to link Iraq with the September 11, 2001, attacks on the USA even if, according to him, Saddam Hussein was linked in some way to al-Qaida. On the other hand, Vice President Dick Cheney and 69% of the Americans believe that Iraq was somehow involved. All this without any proof.
On September 22, 2003, the man the US believes played a major role in the organisation of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, said that the original plans foresaw using 10 planes, and not only 4 as it happened and, at the same time, hijacking or bombing aircrafts in south-east Asia. He added that the plans were changed in 1996 when he proposed them to Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden believed that would-be hijackers' problems getting visas to enter the USA, and doubts about the possibility to coordinate attacks in the US and Asia, led him to change the plans. The hijackers should have been from many countries but, in the end, the majority were Saudi because it was easier for them to get entrance visas in the US. Mr Mohammed was arrested in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in March 2003.
3.2.4 Political consequences
In October 2001 President Bush created a new government department of "Homeland
Security" whose head would be a member of his cabinet. Tom Ridge headed
it as an adviser until the Congress formally approved its creation. This
was done January 2003 when the Congress formally adopted the bill creating
the department of Homeland Security. It is the biggest reshuffle of the
US Administration in 55 years. Tom Ridge was confirmed in his job on January
22, 2003, when he became Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
This department will coordinate the work of the CIA, FBI, Coast Guards,
Immigration Service, etc.
Mrs Karen Hughes, a close adviser to the President, resigned on April 23 2002. Mrs Hughes, a pragmatic person, tried to keep the president on a central line. When she realised that he was moving even further to the right and, as she could not do anything about it, she resigned rather that being part of it. Her resignation allowed the more right wing advisers like Karl Rove to increase their influence on the president.
In the middle of June 2002, it became clear that there was a split in the US Administration between the right-wingers, led by George Bush, vice president Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld and the more open-minded led by Colin Powell, the Secretary of State. This was particularly true in relation to the Middle East policy where Powell wanted to help the Palestinians, while Bush was openly pro-Israel, and ready to let the Israeli crush the Palestinians. Mr Powell is also preaching prudence when Bush threatens to attack Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Libya, and Syria. In other words, on one side we have a statesman, Colin Powell, and on the other a psychopath. The real question now is: will Colin Powell resigns, and when?
While visiting India and Pakistan in June 2002 to try to diffuse a possible war between these two nuclear countries over Kashmir, Donald Rumsfeld declared that many al-Qaida fighters had joined the Pakistanis terrorists who are infiltrating Indian Kashmir and are at the base of the present problems in the region. The next day, on the advice of his own staffers, he rectified his statement: there was no evidence that any al-Qaida fighters were operating in Kashmir. Just lies, as usual.
At the beginning of September 2002, Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of the British MI5, criticised the US's response to the September 11 attack and added that she was not surprised by the al-Qaida action. She is also of the opinion that the war on terrorism, as it is fought, will never be won.
Most Muslims (61%) still doubt that Arabs were responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington DC. This was especially the case in Kuwait and Pakistan. A majority of Muslims (53%) have a negative opinion of the US and 58% dislike President Bush. They also believe (77%) that the US military action in Afghanistan was morally wrong. On the other hand 70% of the Americans believe that Iraq supports terrorism, and 64% believe Iran does it too; moreover they believe (44%) that Saudi Arabia is a patron of terror, and 38% that North Korea is doing it too.
Bush will spend the 2002 Thanksgiving weekend relaxing in his ranch in Texas. At the same time a court has told vice president Cheney to make public all the documents showing whom he met in 2001 while writing the government energy policy. It is believed that the energy industry influenced plans for more oil and gas drilling, and a revived nuclear power program. This could have led to the invasion of Iraq.
On January 14, 2003, the organisation "Human Right Watch" said that international support for the US war on terrorism is weakening because of human rights abuses by America. In particular, the detention at Guantanamo Bay of the so-called "Enemy combatants" without formal charge and access to lawyers, the closed-door deportation hearings of suspect terrorists, and the refusal to apply the Geneva Conventions to the prisoners, are judged very badly abroad. The White House disagreed, of course, and said that the US is "the world's leader" in promoting human rights. The problem is that all these lies convince only the American people, and few others outside the US.
A book became very popular in the USA at the end of March 2002. This best-selling book of the month is called "Stupid White Men" and its author is Michael Moore. It accuses President Bush of being the "thief-in-chief", "the Idiot-in-Chief", a trespasser on federal land, a squatter at the oval office, and call for the Marines to be sent to evict him as well as the whole "Bush Family Junta". It claims that the USA is a country that "goes out of its way to remain ignorant and stupid". He also wrote: "The bad guys are just a bunch of silly, stupid white men, and there is a lot more of us that there are of them"; "People have had it with keeping silent for the past six months. They resent being somehow considered unpatriotic, if they chose to question what the government is up to or, God forbid, dissent with it on any subject." This editorial success contrasts with the still very high approval ratings of President Bush.
The path of the Bush's administration did not change after September 11,
2001, quite the opposite:
- On November 22, 2002, the anniversary of the death of President Kennedy,
the Bush administration announced that the pollution rules would be relaxed.
In other words, the industry does not have to install more efficient modern
equipment to reduce pollution; they can, if they want, update their old
equipment. The environmentalists, the democrats, and even some republicans
were very critical of the decision even if it was expected, as Bush is dependent
on the good wishes of these industries for money to be re-elected. What
shows really what he is like, is the fact that these new rules were announced
while he was outside the country. Even the head of the EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency), Christie Whitman, did not feel like announcing it herself,
and left it to a junior assistant administrator in a briefing where cameras
were forbidden.
- President Bush signed a bill on November 26, 2002, that would reimburse
the insurers up to $100-billion in a future terrorist attack.
- On December 2, 2002, we were told that the White House authorised the
CIA to kill any terrorists, including American citizens, working for al-Qaida
in any foreign country.
3.2.5 Reconstruction of the World Trade Centre
At the end of May 2003, the cleaning-up of the so-called "Ground Zero",
where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre once stood, came to an end.
The cleaning job was finished three months ahead of schedule, and at a lower
cost that foreseen. It involved moving 1.6 million tons of debris -108,342
lorry-loads- and it took over 3.1 million working hours. An official ceremony
with a few thousand silent participants took place. An empty stretcher draped
in the US flag, symbolising the "unknowns," was carried up the
ramp used to move the debris from the crater. The procession started at
10.29am, exactly the time when the second tower collapsed; a lorry carried
the last girder to be removed, a 30-foot slab of steel shrouded in black
and decorated with flowers. The new mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomsberg,
and his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani, were there with the New York State
Governor, George Pataki, Senator Hillary Clinton, and many of the families
of the victims and their friends. The statistics are awful: 2,823 people
died there -of which 343 firemen- but only the remains of 1102 have been
identified; many body parts were found but about 20,000 have still to be
checked and, possibly, identified.
The designs for the site reconstruction were the object of an open competition that ended on February 27, 2003. Architect Daniel Liebeskind's project was chosen, but work on the 10 million square feet office space building will not beginning for about one year. On July 16, 2003, the Daniel Liebeskind, was involved in a bitter dispute with the property developer, Larry Silverstein, who owns a lease on the site, although the real owners are the states of New York and New Jersey through the Port Authority. The New York City Mayor, the local residents, and the survivors groups have no legal rights in the decision-making process. The architect's vision clashes with the commercial demands of prime real estate. The owner of the lease already received $1.3bn from the building's insurers and expects between $3.5 and $7bn more. He wants more office space that the architect had foreseen in his designs. The architect believes that he has a public mandate on the project, while the owner of the site believes that he should have the last say.
On January 6, 2004, the chosen design of the September 11 Memorial, "Reflecting Absence", was unveiled in New York City. The competition lasted 8 months, and more than 5,000 projects from all over the world were presented. The project selected is from the designers Michael Arad and Peter Walker. As usual, many people are already criticising it as too simple!
On July 4, 2004, the first 20-ton stone of the building that will replace the twin towers of the International Trade Centre was laid down. The new tower should be the highest building in the world (541 meters or 1776 feet -1776 being, of course, the date of America's independence from Britain- and should be finished in 2009. Not to miss anything, the Americans called it "Freedom Tower!"
On July 14, 2004, the principal architect, Daniel Libeskind, is suing the site's developer, Larry Silverstein, for $843,750 of unpaid fees. The continuous arguing between the two men over the final design of the new tower is getting worse all the time compromising the construction of the new tower.
3.2.6 One year on
Most airlines cancelled their international flights to and from the USA
on the first anniversary -September 11, 2002- of the terrorist attacks,
as the number of reservations was very small.
On September 11, 2002, the USA and the world celebrated the anniversary of the attacks on New York City and Washington DC. In the US the ceremonies were very emotional and patriotic. The sad events was being used to justify the foreseen invasion of Iraq, although there are no evidence that Iraq was linked to al-Qaida or the Taliban, nor that it helped the terrorists, or that it is planning to attack the USA or any western country. The Iraqis certainly have some knowledge in the field of nuclear weapons, but they do not have the enriched uranium or plutonium, or the means to deliver these weapons over long distance. On the other hand, they could have chemical and biological weapons, some of them supplied years ago by the USA during the war with Iran! Again there is no evidence that they intend to use them against the USA, or any other country. However the world, and especially the USA, is on full alert. One year on, the lessons of September 11 remain unlearned. The human tragedy and the loss of about 3,000 lives are not forgotten but the political, military, economic, and geo-strategic implications and consequences of the attacks have now the priority. They are analysed and evaluated in full details and this will continue for many years to come. The Americans have already planned an aggressive, self-serving process of realignment, reassertion. September 11 together with its awesome consequences are not over, and will not be for many years to come. In fact the US reactions play in the hands of the terrorists who, by these attacks and their follow-up, brought their cause to the top of the global world agenda. Before September 11, Osama bin Laden was a renegade, outcast Saudi terrorist. After September 11, he became the most wanted -dead or alive- man in the world, the embodiment of evil. This transformation must have exceeded his wildest dreams. To bin Laden and his followers, September 11 has brought continuous massive dividends. Since then he has used his popularity to become the champion of the Palestinian cause; he has demanded the expulsion of western interests from Saudi Arabia and this is destabilising the kingdom; he has described as puppets the Arab leaders allied to the west; and he has appealed, with some success, to the Muslim world at large to join "Jihad", the sacred war against the foreigners to save Islam. The US, and part of the worlds, see al-Qaida as the "storm troopers" of a coming "clash of civilisation", an illusory symbol of liberation of the poor and oppressed Muslims. The Bush administration by its words, actions, and reactions, helped the terrorists reach their aims. The USA destroyed the al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan but by insisting on regime change in Kabul, and in the so-called "rogue states", it encouraged Arab and Muslim's hate of all that is foreigners. By claiming that it had the right to engage in pre-emptive actions, by asking complete obedience of its allies, and doing deals with unsavoury regimes from the Gulf to Pakistan and central Asia, the US lost the moral ground battle. Letting Israel's Ariel Sharon dealing as he wants with the Palestinians, especially identifying his destructive policy with the US wider war aims, is a mistake. In the same way, the near panic at home that led to overriding some basic civil liberties and basic human rights put the US in a bad light abroad. Of course, on a personal basis, George Bush must be happy. A weak, second-rate president, with no popular mandate became, with September 11, a national leader with unprecedented levels of national support. His exaggerated response made bin Laden, and now Saddam Hussein, powerful figures admired by a large number of people outside the USA. It is a fact that President Bush has made September 11 worse that it was. He did it while, at the same time, he was not able to eliminate al-Qaida. The result is that outside USA, many people still feel solidarity with the Americans, but not with their government. They fear continuous confrontations, and not only with the Muslim world. This could degenerate in a Third World War, but it will certainly allow Bush to be re-elected to a second term. Most probably, this is all he wants and all he cares for; the price in money and blood has no importance since it makes him, and his industry bakers, happy and rich!
3.2.7 Two years on
On September 11, 2003, America commemorated the second anniversary of the
terrorist attacks in a low-key fashion. At ground zero, 200 children and
young adults who had lost a relative in the attacks read the names of the
2,792 people who died there. At the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld presided the
ceremony, while church bell rang across Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the site
of the crash of flight UA93. George Bush attended an early church service.
In most of the nation a "One minute" silence was observed at 8.46,
the time the first plane crashed in the World Trade Centre. The event was
also recorded in most of the world.