The article reflects on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and argues that the US response to them, not the attacks themselves, changed everything. The "Global War on Terror" resulted in between 4.5 and 4.7 million deaths, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University. The article critiques US policy in the Middle East as a choice made by American elites, rather than an inevitability, and suggests that it inspired other repressive regimes around the world to follow suit.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, people around the world are reflecting on how their lives were changed by that day.
Colin McShane, whose father was a firefighter who died in the line of duty, remembers watching TV with his family as a child and trying to understand what was happening. He now wants to join the FDNY, following in his father's footsteps.
Meanwhile, Sue Riccardelli and her wife, Maureen Murray, are flying a flag outside their New Jersey home that honors the people of central Newfoundland who cared for them and over 6,500 other passengers after their planes were grounded in Gander, N.L. They plan to bring the flag to performances of "Come From Away," a musical about the stranded passengers and their hosts.
Many Americans are also still dealing with the physical and emotional toll of that day, including thousands of first responders who have died or become ill from working at ground zero. Mia Farina, a former police officer, was diagnosed with chronic lung disease related to her work in 2014.
In addition, anti-Muslim sentiment and Islamophobia persist 25 years after the attacks, with some politicians and pundits using stereotypes and misinformation to demonize Muslims and other minority groups. This has led to increased hate crimes and erosion of civil liberties.
As the country marks the anniversary of 9/11, many are reflecting on how their lives have changed since that day and how they can come together to support each other in the face of adversity.
Written for “Impact of the 9/11 Attacks” on 2026-09-10,
grounded in this article and the 60 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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the U.S. intensified its violent status quo.
left criticizes the US for escalating violence
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America loves to think of itself as a beacon of freedom to humanity. Its historical record of infamy will never disturb this self-conception.
left critiques the US for hypocrisy and self-delusion
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Never would there be a better opportunity than the War on Terror to unleash their visions for power unconstrained by justice.
left accuses other countries of using the War on Terror as an excuse to repress their own people
Leaning score -0.75 for article 7514 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-10
Note from our Editor-in-Chief: Friday marks 25 years since the horrific attacks on September 11, 2001.
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Friday → mark → September
While mainstream media – many of the same news organizations that amplified the post-9/11 lies that paved the way for the invasion of Iraq – will likely spend much of its coverage navel-gazing, Zeteo has planned a week full of thoughtful and honest essays and interviews that not only reflect on the tragedy that was 9/11, but also on the aftermath – in America, across the Middle East, and worldwide.
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that → amplify → East
Plus, I will also be interviewing two mothers who lost their children on 9/11, a four-star U.S. general who became a leading critic of the Iraq invasion, and others.
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who → interview → invasion
If you’re not already a paid subscriber, become one today to get full access to all of Zeteo’s 9/11 anniversary coverage and more.
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you → ’re → coverage
Twenty-five years later, it is important to remember that the 9/11 catastrophe itself changed nothing.
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catastrophe → remember → nothing
Regardless of the pabulum that politicians and journalists will intone for this sorrowful anniversary, what changed everything was not the attacks but the U.S. response to them.
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changed → intone → them
What became known as the “Global War on Terror” was a choice, not an inevitability.
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known → know → Terror
As politically arduous as it would have been, there was a possible response in which the U.S. recognized that its decades-long extractive, exploitative approach to the Middle East, one that imported the region’s resource wealth and exported the means to subjugate its people, had been proven unviable and began unraveling it.
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that → be → it
Instead, the U.S. intensified its violent status quo.
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U.S. → intensify → quo
The War on Terror took the lives of what the Costs of War Project at Brown University tallies as between 4.5 and 4.7 million people.
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Project → take → people
But while the War on Terror was a choice – a choice made by American elites in both parties, after exploiting the post-9/11 fear and bloodlust to manufacture consent – and for the peoples of the Middle East and Southwest Asia a death sentence, it was also, for many rising powers around the world, an opportunity.
America loves to think of itself as a beacon of freedom to humanity.
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America → make → humanity
record of infamy will never disturb this self-conception.
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record → disturb → conception
But after 9/11, ambitious architects of repression from Moscow to Beijing to Tel Aviv were inspired by the infamy.
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architects → inspire → infamy
After all, they were doing what Washington said it wanted: following the example of the United States.
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it → do → States
