The attack on the Twin Towers in New York was part of four suicide terrorist actions, committed on September 11 , 2001 by the terrorist organization Al Qaeda , in the territory of the United States .

The attacks consisted of the hijacking of four commercial aircraft , which were used to hit the Twin Towers and the Pentagon , the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense .

One of the hijacked planes was aimed at the Capitol , but fell to the ground due to a confrontation that took place on board the plane between the terrorists and a group of passengers who tried to stop them.

Due to structural damage and fires caused by the impact of the planes, the two skyscrapers known as Twin Towers collapsed during the two hours following the attack, causing large numbers of deaths and damage to neighboring buildings.

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Historic context

The dissolution of the Soviet Union , in 1991, brought about the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new international order characterized by the emergence of the United States as the hegemonic power worldwide .

To affirm that hegemony, the US governments at the end of the 20th century promoted the signing of free trade agreements with American states (NAFTA, FTAA), pressured dependent countries to implement free trade policies and reinforced their military presence in the world with the in order to control the natural resources essential to maintain its economic structure.

The Gulf War , the military intervention in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia , the support for Israel in its fight against the Palestinians and the establishment of military bases in the Persian Gulf area, revealed a global strategy aimed at strengthening a position of unipolarity.

Of these interventions, the Gulf War, the installation of US bases in Saudi Arabia, and political and military support for Israel were the ones that provoked the greatest rejection among Muslims. From that resentment various terrorist organizations were nurtured to recruit new members and plan direct action measures to stop what they understood as the interference of the United States in the Islamic world .

Causes and consequences of the attack on the Twin Towers

Causes

Among the causes of the attacks on the Twin Towers are:

• The establishment of United States military bases on the territory of Saudi Arabia.
• The support given by the United States to Israel in its fight against the Palestinians.
• The Gulf War , during which an international coalition led by the United States defeated the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and forced it to evacuate Kuwait in 1991.
• The triumph within Al Qaeda of the strategic vision held by Osama Bin Laden . He believed that the United States was not as strong as it appeared to be and that it could be attacked without endangering the survival of the terrorist organization. Bin Laden also argued that the punitive response of the United States would help forge the unity of the Muslim world and the coming to power of the most conservative sectors.

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Consequences

The main consequences of the attacks on the Twin Towers were the following:

• The deaths of 2,996 people, including the 19 Islamic terrorists; the disappearance of 24 people, and more than 25 thousand injured.
• The destruction of the World Trade Center complex of buildings , including the Twin Towers in New York.
• The death of more than 1,000 people in the months following the attacks, due to respiratory diseases caused by inhaling the smoke generated during the fire and the fall of the skyscrapers.
• The definition by the United States government of the so-called Axis of Evil , made up of all governments that gave asylum and support to Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organizations, including the regimes of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Libya.
• The assumption by the United States of the role of gendarmes of the world, which was based on the conception that it was legitimate to investigate the lives of people who, due to their religious beliefs or ethnicity, could represent a potential threat to the country security.
• The US invasion of Afghanistan , which began on October 7, 2001, succeeded in displacing the Taliban from power, but failed to put an end to the actions of Islamic fundamentalist groups.
• The invasion of Iraq , during which an international coalition led by the United States, Great Britain and Australia, overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime during 2003.
• The persecution of Al Qaeda , which was decimated by commando-type actions carried out by the United States against its top leaders. The most successful of these missions was the bin Laden assassination, which took place in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.
• The massive increase in the budget for US security from 2002 to 2006 rose by $ 50 billion compared to the entire 1990s.
• Strengthening security measures at all US airports, by incorporating security cameras and body scanners.
• The support of the majority of Americans for the anti-terrorist policy of the government of President George Bush (h).
• Increased controls on the Muslim-origin population of the United States. After the attacks of September 11, the footprints of 80,000 Muslims were registered. About 5,000 of them were detained, alleging a resolution of the United States Congress that authorized the use of military force to prevent the actions of international terrorism in their territory.
• The increase in hatred and racism towards people of Arab origin or from Middle Eastern countries, both in the United States and in many Western nations.