Security crises have defined and reshaped the United States’ relations and international policies over the years.
Armed confrontations and nuclear threats have emerged, subsided, and re-emerged in multiple successions, especially in conflict-prone regions, forcing the U.S. to intervene to prevent the unstable situations from escalating into global-scale hostilities.
In the Middle East, radicalized religious groups have gradually become serious concerns, and with the level of armament at their disposal, they continue to pose a significant risk of war.
Armed conflict in the region impacts the governance of international human rights and calls for worldwide political reactions. It appears that throughout modern history, military tension has not changed much in the region.
A series of military conflicts in the Middle East started the U.S. War on Terror, but the event that triggered such a massive campaign happened right at home on September 11, 2001.
On the morning of that day, the U.S. learned about an enemy so sophisticated and lethal, capable of launching a surprise attack on Americans on U.S. soil, killing nearly 3,000 people and costing hundreds of billions of economic loss.
10 /10 Good Weather For Travel
It was a Tuesday; the temperature was friendly, and the sky was almost cloudless in the eastern United States.
Unsuspecting, millions of people were getting ready for work. Some went to Arlington, Virginia, to the Pentagon; others made their way to the Twin Towers, the unmistakable structures of the World Trade Center complex in New York City.
Across the Potomac River, the congress was back in session. At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, a crowd was ready for a White House Tour.
For travelers in the airport, the weather was perfect for flights. All in all, there was nothing amiss.
9 /10 American 11
Among the travelers arriving in Portland were Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari, who then boarded a 6:00 a.m. flight to Boston’s Logan International Airport.
They arrived in Boston 45 minutes later. Not an hour after landing, they were joined by Satam al Suqami, Wail al Shehri, and Waleed al Shehri boarding the American Airlines Flight 11, bound for Los Angeles.
Atta, Omari, and Suqami were in the business class (seat 8D, 8G, and 10B respectively), while the Shehri took their seats in 2A and 2B first-class cabins. The flight was scheduled to depart at 7:45 a.m.