When discussing the aftermath of 9/11 we often consider how this act of terrorism impacted the United States however it is also important to also consider what this event prompted for countries in the Middle East. After attempting to negotiate the handover of Osama Bin Ladin the U.S prompted an arial assault to remove the Taliban. Upon this attack the Leaders of the Taliban government fled the capital. With an interim government in place, Afghanistan remained unstable with many external issues and issues within the capitol. The aftermath of 9/11 also had an impact on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Instantly there was a shift of sympathy towards Israeli people, American people suddenly had a shared sense of anguish against terrorism. Along with a shift in the people, Bush's administration also experienced a shift in putting much focus towards Israel's response to Palestinian terror.911 helped Isreal gain U.S approval for its infiltrations in the West bank.This sense of support for both nation's fighting terrorism with resilience and determination created an American-Isreali bond between the nations and its' people.As 9/11 prompted a shift in the US's relationship with certain nations it also induced a geographical shift in the Middle East.The geographical changes in the Middle East were not so sudden but definitely in some way a culmination of this event. Bin Laden's goal was to alter the Islamic world and in many ways this was done.Many different dynamics have change the Map of the Middle east such as events involving the Arab Spring, Iraq war and a lack of governmental stability, one can see that the borders of nations in the middle east seem to be very flexible.Many of these countries undergo internal issues that only support this fluctuation, for example the Syrian civil war, the political divide in Lebanon and Jordan's large intake of syrian refugees.
There are many different ways to see how the Middle East was dismantled as a result of November 11th terrorist attacks. As an American citizen I find it interesting to consider the
implications that this event had on other places than the U.S. Although this memory has been ingrained in history as a catastrophic event for the United states, 9/11 was also a generator for many other issues in the Middle east following November 11, 2001.
Picture 1 citation:Shapiro, Jacob L. “The Middle East Since 9/11.” Geopolitical Futures, 11 May 2017, geopoliticalfutures.com/the-middle-east-since-911/.
This is a really thoughtful post: thanks!
ReplyDeleteA very interesting perspective! 9/11 has always been portrayed as a great loss for the American people, which it's true, but the immense consequences of the come back of the US government, as well as other factors, in the Middle East are not often talked about. In fact, I remember learning about 9/11 in Middle School history class in China, and the focus was on the loss of America and how terrible the terrorists are. Nothing was mentioned about what happened to MENA area after the event.
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