In the course of human history, few events come along that are
so indelible that people remember where they were, what they
were doing, and how they felt at one exact moment. For many of
my contemporaries, the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963
brings back vivid memories of the day when the United States’
Camelot came to an abrupt end. The tragedy of 9/11 is one such
event. The unspeakable terror of the events of September 11,
2001, will remain as the singular, horrific day that transformed
the world and America in particular—and the way the world has
evolved since that day. The politics surrounding 9/11 remain,
and historians will surely debate its ramifications for decades
to come: two wars that directly resulted from the attacks
continue in their distinctive forms; the Patriot Act remains
fundamentally in force; and Guantánamo Bay is still open. The
human tragedies woven around the 2001 attacks will be
commemorated in the coming days. Nearly 3000 people lost their
lives on 9/11 and it has been estima