Photo: Marcus Halveti |
Eight years ago, on a sunny Tuesday September morning in New York City and Washington, DC, a sickeningly well-orchestrated terrorist attack took flight, in part, from Boston’s Logan International Airport. To say it was a chilling, disturbing, or horrific day is a vast understatement. One might also argue that it was the day that launched so many of the current problems we face, from seemingly endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to an economic crisis that has vastly changed the American landscape, psyche, and even self-identity. Yes, it was a blow to our ego and our sense of security, but it also changed who we are. In that way, it was — these words pain us to type — a successful blow against an empire.
It’s difficult to recall how we felt, collectively, in what now seems like a shockingly more naive state, just less than a decade ago. To remind ourselves, the Phoenix has compiled our extensive in-paper and online-only coverage into this central site.
Related:
Afghanistan: Just say no!, Taking the long view, A decade of turmoil, More 
- Afghanistan: Just say no!
The idea that the war in Afghanistan has reached a critical junction, a “now-or-never” moment that requires an additional 40,000 troops to win, is rubbish.
- Taking the long view
The surprising and dramatic death in Pakistan of Osama bin Laden at the hands of American Special Forces operating under shoot-to-kill orders from President Barack Obama was a triumph of singular rarity in the annals of international conflict.
- A decade of turmoil
9/11 has become such a given — such a fixed star in American culture and politics — that as the tenth anniversary approached, it was easy to imagine we had somehow come to terms with the attacks.
- Will anything change now that Osama is dead?
The death of Osama bin Laden and the impending 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks have many people contemplating the gains and futility of nearly a decade of American engagement overseas.
- The death of Osama bin Laden proves that pragmatic progressivism works
You saw the meme buzzing around the Net on Monday: Barack Obama, in dark sunglasses, smirking: "SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET YOU A COPY OF MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE," it read, in I Can Has Cheezburger all-caps. "I WAS TOO BUSY KILLING OSAMA BIN LADEN."
- Feel-good movie of the summer
With the upcoming November elections poised to determine the future of Congress, what better gift could Republicans ask for than a popular Hollywood movie that conjures the image that for five years has granted them power and impunity? Watch the trailer for World Trade Center (QuickTime) Off-Center: Oliver Stone's trite take on 9/11. By Peter Keough
- Obama's rebirth
It was a good weekend for the president.
- Afghanistan: 10 years of war
October 7, 2001. Military jets slice through the skies of Afghanistan, marking the beginning of what has evolved into the longest war in American history.
- Richard Clarke’s dark vision
Richard Clarke famously warned his superiors in the Clinton and Bush White Houses about the destructive potential of a small terrorist network run by Osama bin Laden. To little avail.
- Review: Hell and Back Again
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Hell and Back Again offers a potent documentary correlative to the narrative of The Hurt Locker .
- Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Too soon? For Stephen Daldry's 9/11 drama, the right time is "never."
- Less
Topics:
Flashbacks
, Afghanistan, Transportation, Terrorism, More
, Afghanistan, Transportation, Terrorism, War and Conflict, World Trade Center, Osama bin Laden, Air Travel, September 11, terrorist attacks, bombs, Less
