September Blog: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

Anniversaries

Anniversaries always provide an excellent opportunity for a discussion or a review of key historical events

The 25th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attacks, September 11, 2001

This month sees the anniversary of that fateful day when Al Qaeda terrorists flew hijacked planes into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon outside of Washington, DC. A fourth plane, United Flight 93, crashed into a field in central Pennsylvania after passengers tried to wrest control from the hijackers. Nearly three thousand people died in the attacks, making September 11 one of the deadliest days in U.S. history. 

It also led directly to the War on Terror:

• One week after the attacks,  Congress passed the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force, which authorized the president to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.”
• This led to Operation Enduring Freedom - an attack on the Taliban government in Afghanistan who had allowed Al Qaeda training camps.
• The Taliban fell and a UN-mandated multinational force, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established to help secure Kabul and assist the new administration. This would last until the withdrawal of all troops in 2024 - after which the Taliban returned to power.

Gloria Steinem

Another event that could trigger some interesting discussions with students is the death of the trailblazing feminist, Gloria Steinam, a key figure in the second wave women's movement who remained  an influential advocate for women’s rights and social justice throughout her life.

Site update

We are now adding sample practice Paper 2's for the forthcoming November examination session/

The paper for Option A has just been added; Option B is coming soon!