One Year On

It was about this time of night exactly a year ago, as I sat watching reruns of the day’s terrible events, trying to make sense of the horror, that a thought occurred to me: perhaps the US will finally wake up to the fact that its foreign policies often have tragic consequences for innocent, normal people. As awful and unjustifiable as the terrorist attacks were, at least America might now realise that it can’t continue to act selfishly and unilaterily around the globe in order to further its own interests.

But sadly, a year later, it appears they (or perhaps we, thanks to Bush’s poodle Blair) have clearly learned nothing; if anything things have got considerably worse — summed up rather well by Professor Phil Scraton in an article for today’s Guardian, Beyond September 11: beyond responsibility:

While Tony Blair reaches for the dossier that he maintains will present an unequivocal case for war, the real driving force rests on three pillars of self-interest within the US administration.

First, Bush and his close associates are settling unfinished business. Second is the determination to secure a second term of office despite a fiscal crisis at home. Third, and not least, is the issue of access to oil.

That further destabilisation will occur throughout the Middle East and many more young men and women will be recruited to the organisations Bush and Blair are targeting for elimination seems to be of no consequence.

Of course, this is assuming that Bush and other high-ranking US officials had no prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks — something I become less and less sure of, the more I read (see Unanswered Questions: Thinking For Ourselves for more on the 9/11 conspiracy theories).

Still, I put these cynical thoughts aside as I watched the remembrance services on telly today, but was struck by the contrast. The event at the World Trade Center site was simple, dignified and moving. The ceremony — or should I say rally — outside the rebuilt Pentagon was just one big jingoistic spectacle, which left me feeling angry and rather scared. At one point, General Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a speech in which he remarked on the irony of the date, which amongst other significant (to a US military type!) things, was also the date that American military forces first fought under a united flag. With even greater irony though, I noticed that he failed to mention September 11th 1973. That was the date on which the coup encouraged by the US overthrew a democratically elected government in Chile. The official death toll in Chile was 3,197. We Brits always joke that Americans don’t really understand irony…

This evening I watched a documentary by two French filmakers that just happened to be following a probationary New York firefighter when they became caught up in the heroic attempts to save the poor people in the WTC. And heroic really is the right word for the firemen that went inside the towers — of whom 343 never made it out — the footage was truly terrifying, and the sound of the ‘jumpers’ landing will haunt me for a long time. I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like to actually be there, either as a firefighter, or an office worker. Harrowing stuff.

No matter what the truth is about those involved in the attacks, today is ultimately a day to remember the people killed one year ago, or subsequently, by religious fanaticism, poverty, or greed for money, oil and power — whether in the US, in Afghanistan, in Palestine, in Israel, or anywhere else. They died unnecessarily and it is a tragedy.

I think the parents of Deora Bodley, a 20 year old girl who died tragically on Flight 93, put it very eloquently when they asked the US to embrace peace instead of retaliation:

We must not retaliate in kind as if our cause allows us to… [Operation Infinite Justice] frightens me more than the terrorist attacks. I shudder to think they chose it because they think God is on their side. That is what terrorists think… Let this passing be the start of a new conversation that is all-inclusive, tolerant of all people’s beliefs, that includes everyone’s God, that includes everyone of color, that provides a future for all mankind to live in harmony and respect.

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