Image via internet reproduction
Twenty-five years ago, on the morning of 11 September 2001, four commercial aircraft were hijacked in the United States. Two struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York; another hit the Pentagon; and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day.
Today, ceremonies, moments of silence and tributes once again bring together families, survivors, officials and a generation that had not even been born when the attacks took place.
But 25 years later, remembering 11 September also means understanding everything that came afterwards.
Few events in recent history have had such far-reaching consequences.
11 September profoundly reshaped US foreign policy, triggered the so-called “war on terror” and was followed by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Within the United States, it led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and an expansion of surveillance and intelligence powers.
It also changed something far more ordinary: the way the world travels.
Airport security became stricter. Security itself took on a much greater role in the agendas of governments and businesses. Financial systems began monitoring transactions linked to terrorist financing more closely. And the balance between security, privacy and freedom became an enduring debate.
The social impact was significant as well. Muslim communities and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries faced an increase in prejudice and hate crimes — another consequence that remains part of the American debate 25 years later.
Perhaps the greatest legacy of 11 September is the realisation that a single event can reshape entire systems.
Aviation. Security. Diplomacy. Defence. Technology. Banking. Borders. Privacy. International relations.
Many practices that seem normal today either emerged or took on an entirely new dimension in that context.
For businesses and leaders, there is also a lesson about risk.
11 September demonstrated, in the most brutal way, that events seemingly external to an organisation can transform markets, supply chains, regulations, costs and behaviours almost overnight.
It is an idea that remains extremely relevant today.
Pandemics, wars, geopolitical tensions, cyberattacks and extreme weather events continue to demonstrate that understanding the world around a business is also part of managing it.
But there is also a human legacy.
On this 25th anniversary, some of those reading the victims’ names at Ground Zero are children who grew up without ever knowing the parents or family members they lost that day. And a new generation now knows 11 September only through history.
That is why, after 25 years, remembering also means teaching.
How much of the world we live in today is still a consequence of that 11 September 2001?
