American Triumphalism and the Conditions that Led to September 11

October 1, 2001 |
 

September 11th will now replace December 7th as the most notorious date on the American calendar. A brilliantly executed terrorist attack, likely masterminded by Saudi-born Islamic fundamentalist Osama bin Laden, has wiped the World Trade Center towers clean from the Manhattan skyline, caused more than 5,000 deaths, and penetrated and gashed to the core the Pentagon, command center of the world's most powerful military.

While most Americans are focused on quick revenge against those who perpetrated this terror, the question of why this happened, a weighing of the underlying circumstances, needs to be considered. Two television evangelists, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson offered comments on the