Reflections on a decade after 9/11

9/11 was a history-changing event in it’s own right. Ten years after that event let us analyze and review where we stand as per as global events are concerned.

Loss of invulnerability: Before 9/11 there was a predominant sense of invincibility present in the American psyche. The USA at the time was at the top of the world. It had won the cold war just a decade ago. Americans were happy both at home and feeling confident abroad. A “Washington Consensus” was the order of the day. We could see that the proponents of American predominance almost took their dominance as some sort of inevitable manifest destiny. Francis Fukuyama coined the phrase “End of history” to signify this concept. 9/11 changed everything. Those pictures of burning twin towers ensured a permanent place in the American psyche. More importantly it told the Americans about one thing. They were as vulnerable to History as any other people. As a consequence, ten years after 9/11 we do not see many writings like “End of the History” or “Washington consensus”.

Rise of the rest: Not only the Americans themselves feel the loss of invincibility but the others have started to see it like that as well. After the last recession in 2008 the world looks more at China than the USA to pull the world out of the current economic mess. China has proved her mettle by becoming the fastest growing economy both during and after the recession. This year it just surpassed Japan as the overall number two economy in the World.

Even in other parts of world we see new powers trying to assert an independent position for them. On the very important question of Iran’s nuclear program, traditionally pro-American countries like Brazil and Turkey, opposed the American position by voting against America on UN Security Council and they continue to do business with Iran in spite of obvious American criticism. Leaders like Hugo Chavez in Latin America and Kim Jung IL of North Korea continue to strongly oppose American interests in their respective regions. Even American commentators like Fareed Zachariah and Robert Kagan are using phrases like “post-American world” and “Return of History” to express the view that the USA has passed her prime.

The GOD-s who failed: As long as people consider the ideas of a civilization useful and worthy of following, the civilization survives. The ideas which America wanted the world to embrace have not fared well in the last decade. The Latin American countries like Argentina went bankrupt after following US-backed economic reform plans through the International Monetary Fund. America herself seemed to be not doing very well economically. Indeed the disparity in income in the USA has increased in last few years. In the 1950-s the richest 1% of US people owned 10% of US economy and now days their share has climbed up to 25% of the US economy whereas the American overall population has increased in the mentioned period.

Following 9/11, Americans went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan to impose American style democracy and freedom upon the Muslim world. On the overwhelming evidence so far, Muslims in both the countries seem to be rejecting the America imposed values. In general, Muslim attitude towards America seem to have hardened following the wars in spite of Americans electing their first president with Muslim origins. Incidents of torture at Abu Gharib prison or the detention facilities at Guantanamo bay or even the recent controversy surrounding the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle attacks on innocent civilians in Pakistan and Afghanistan have certainly not helped American image in this regard.

The people in the rest of the World have started to raise questions that if American ideals can neither transform societies like those in Iraq and Afghanistan nor can they end the growing economic disparity in America itself then why should they be considered seriously? If current trends continue then people will not only raise questions about American ideas and values but they would increasingly look at alternative ideas. That is a normal historical functionality.

Trouble at home: On the home front, Americans seem to be divided beyond repair. The progressives were always complaining about the lack of sophistication and foresight in the policies of President Bush, now days it seems to be that the reactionary conservatives are complaining about lack of patriotism in the policies of President Obama. Overall it looks very much like the divisive trends in America are here to stay.

Immediately following the aftermath of 9/11 the Americans showed signs of paranoia and fear by attacking turbaned and bearded Sikhs, mistaking them as Muslims. Now days following the 2008 recession the Americans seem to be becoming more and more paranoid and suspicious. They do not trust their president, they do not trust their elected representatives, they do not trust their multi-billionaire entrepreneurs and they surely do not trust their own mainstream media. Now days they seem to be having a sense of hatred towards their immigrant neighbors as well as any one they consider alien to their values.

A string of incidents like the recent Arizona anti-immigration law, banning of Dubai ports World to operate American ports, the controversies surrounding latest Obama health care plan and the recent ground-Zero Mosque debate point to this growing trend. The ever growing debate in the USA regarding outsourcing to countries like India is the greatest example to signify the paranoia in the psyche of a common American.

On 9/11, the Le Monde newspaper in France made the headline “Today everyone in the world is American.” That signified the power and hold of American ideas and values over the rest of the World. A decade after 9/11, not too many people around the World can be found expressing the same gratitude towards American values and ideas.