Essay Example on 9/11: Outcomes and Impact on the World

The attack by terrorist on 11th September 2001 commonly known as 9/11 refers to a series of four coordinated attacks which were carried out by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. The attacks read to the death and injuries of very many people. The attacks did not only affect America but the entire world. The attack also brought about changed status in the political arena in America. Hotchkiss, J., & Pavlova, O. (2009) writes that "After the events of 9/11, the popular press abounded with declarations of how people were planning to change the way they lived, with the most common resolution to 'spend less time working and more time with family'" (999). This was to have significant effects on the way politics were carried in out in America after that.

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This passage reveals that the politics of a nation are usually carried out by the people. The behavior of the people determines, to a great extent, the direction that politics take. After the attack, many people did not leave their homes, and they spent time discussing the attack since many of them were filled with fear. Even those that worked away from their homes had to return to their families where they engaged in debates about the attack. Many people withdrew from external influences. The attack greatly seared the American psyche.

The political hype, since the 9/11 attack, centered on the war against terror. Leaders across America promised to fight terror by all means possible. There were also leaders from outside America who promised to support America in the war against terrorism. Besides, the slogan for a majority of all people seeking legislative seats changed to fight against terror. The constant call for war on terror raised the government's suspicion and the media, and a sharp antagonism towards Muslims rose.

As the passage by Hotchkiss and Pavlova suggests, an alternative possible behavioral response to external threat such as the 9/11 attack is to increase the labor supply and in some cases reduce the hours to rest and work more hours. However, this did not happen. On the contrary, people spent more of their times at home with their families. The unity of the family was a means of protecting each other encouraging each other that family members were there for each other irrespective of the threat that loamed. People got themselves engaged in various domestic activities to be able to catch up with the future which seemed bleak. People did not have hope in the future or political leadership. Since the political elite was not able to protect the people from the attack many of them felt that one's family could only guarantee the best form of security. This is why many of them resorted to staying with the relations at home and never returned to work until their fears had decreased.

The passage can be interpreted as a strong political statement that politics begins at home. After people concentrated in their homes following the attack, the political sphere of America changed greatly afterward. Declarations were made involving the ways in which people were planning to change the way that they lived. The political set up also changed greatly as more political leaders came out to promise the people of how they were going to fight terrorism. Up to date, terrorism is regarded as a significant topic of discussion to a majority of the Americans.

References

Hotchkiss, J., & Pavlova, O. (2009). The impact of 9/11 on hours of work and labour force participation in the US. Applied Economics Letters, 16(10), 999-1003. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504850701250252