The article reflects on the significant impact of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, marking a stark before-and-after divide in the nation’s history. It acknowledges the profound changes in culture, security, and politics that followed the tragic events, which resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths across multiple locations. The author notes the contrasting feelings of time passing quickly since the attacks while simultaneously perceiving the pre-9/11 era as distant and idealized.
This piece is part of a symposium that reminisces about the pre-9/11 era, suggesting a collective yearning for aspects of that time. However, it also implicitly highlights the ongoing challenges and transformations the country has undergone in the subsequent years, particularly in the realm of national security and political discourse. The symposium’s title hints at a desire to examine and understand the changes brought about by this pivotal moment in history, potentially exploring the societal shifts and policy decisions that have shaped the nation since.
No specific mention of War Is Still A Racket or its themes is made in this excerpt, but the broader context of post-9/11 America is relevant to discussions of military policy, national security, and the societal implications of prolonged conflicts, as potentially explored in the book.