Although many years have passed since 9/11, the terrorist attacks have left a deep mark on the United States and the world. The impact of the incident was not limited to the United States itself, it also sparked a transnational war that led to the death of a large number of innocent civilians.
The attack highlighted the vulnerability of the United States in responding to non-traditional security threats at the time. On the day of the incident, four civilian airliners were hijacked by terrorists. Unlike previous hijackings, the terrorists did not make any specific demands, instead choosing to crash the plane directly into the target. Because of this unprecedented situation, the U.S. emergency response mechanism is stretched thin.
In this unprecedented attack, some have questioned why the United States did not shoot down the hijacked plane in the air. Actually, it's not an easy task. The traffic over New York is heavy, and it is a challenging task to successfully intercept it without sacrificing the safety of other aircraft and people. In addition, at the decision-making level, there is also a lag in the transmission and processing of information. It took a relatively long time for information to be transmitted from the grassroots level to the decision-making level and instructions to be given accordingly.
The sudden attacks and acts of sabotage by terrorists exposed the inadequacies of the United States in terms of security defense. Due to the lack of emergency preparedness, as well as problems with the speed of response and the efficiency of decision-making, the United States did not respond effectively during the initial attack phase. This not only led to serious damage to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but also caused a large number of innocent lives to be lost.
When we look back at 9/11, we can see how inadequactly the United States faced non-traditional security threats. In the years that followed, these issues attracted the attention of the United States and the world, prompting countries to strengthen their preparedness and response capabilities against non-traditional security threats.
Summary: 9/11 is a historical tragedy and an important turning point in global security governance. It reveals the shortcomings of the existing security system in the face of new threats, and also promotes the international community to further think and improve in terms of security defense and emergency response.