"Ten years have passed," write The Nation‘s editors in this week’s issue of the magazine, "and there is still much to grieve about September 11, 2001." In the weeks and years that followed 9/11, we lost the chance for a politics built around the kind of social solidarity embodied by those law enforcement officers and firefighters who responded first to the attacks and expressed by the society so moved by their sacrifice. Instead, thanks largely to the administration of George W. Bush, we got a politics of fear that helped launch a long “war on terror,” which in turn gave us a lost decade of American life.
Here are selections from The Nation‘s archives that illuminate those ten years since the attacks, and the way that in many ways the US response damaged more than it healed.
Put Out No Flags, Katha Pollit, October 8, 2001
The globe, not the flag, is the symbol that’s wanted now.
Game Over, Naomi Klein, October 1, 2001
Now is the time in the game of war when we dehumanize our enemies.
A Great Wound, The Editors, October 1, 2001
We have taken a great wound, we Americans, and our first task is to rescue survivors if that is still possible, to grieve and to remain alert until we better understand what happened to us.
A Hole in the World, Jonathan Schell, October 1, 2001
A patch of blue sky that should not have been there opened up in the New York skyline. Our city was changed forever. Our country was changed forever. Our world was changed forever.
Terror in America, Robert Fisk, October 1, 2001
America is at war and, unless I am mistaken, many thousands more are now scheduled to die in the Middle East, perhaps in America too.
The Dark Smoke, David Corn, October 1, 2001
Extremism begets extremism, and the dark smoke of a dark day will not be easily blown away.
Justice, Not Vengeance, The Editors, October 8, 2001
In this new era, the only viable security is one built on a commitment to "human security" in the form of economic and social well-being for all people.
The Clash of Ignorance, Edward W. Said, October 22, 2001
Labels like "Islam" and "the West" serve only to confuse us about a disorderly reality.
Blowback, Chaimers Johnson, October 15, 2001
US actions abroad have repeatedly led to unintended and indefensible consequences.
Dispatches, Praful Bidwai, Maria Margaronis, Graham Usher, Mark Gevisser, Ahmed Rashid and Ana Uzelac, October 15, 2001
The events of September 11th, viewed from abroad.
A Just Response, Richard Falk, October 8, 2001
We must act effectively but within a framework of moral and legal restraints.
Wanted: Global Politics, Mary Kaldor, November 5, 2001
New types of violence are on the rise, and the only exit route is political.
The Geopolitics of War, Michael T. Klare, November 5, 2001
Whoever controls Saudi Arabia’s oil wields great power over the world economy.
Dreaming of War, Ellen Willis, October 15, 2001
To imagine that this national emergency is good for us is a dangerous mistake.
Which America Will We Be Now? Bill Moyers, November 19, 2001
September 11th showed us American heroes. Now let’s build on their strength.
Definding a Just War, Richard Falk, October 29, 2001
Ends and means.
The Most Patriotic Act, Eric Foner, October 8, 2001
The drumbeat now begins, as it always does in time of war: We must accept limitations on our liberties.
