September Blog: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Anniversaries
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.
This is an anniversary to discuss with students; the consequences of 9/11 started a sequence of events that have important global ramifications today.
It is also part of the new curriculum in Americas, Regional study 12: Political developments in the USA and Canada (1960–2020) and it links to the section on Afghanistan in Asia, Regional study 11: The Cold War in Asia (1949–2002).
The following sites are a good starting point:
The Imperial War Museum - an overview of the key events
9/11 Never Forget - interviews with those involved in the attacks
The 9/11 Effect and the Transformation of Global Security - CFR
Gloria Steinam
This week saw 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.
The many obituaries on Gloria currently in the news will be useful for students studying Paper 1, Focused Study 5 on Protest and Change and/or Paper 3, The Americas, on Social movements.
Site update and another Think-In
We are continuing to update the site with materials for the 2028 curriculum.
Recent additions include:
Paper 3: Americas, Regional Study 9: Americas during the Cold War
Paper 3: Europe, Regional Study 12: Europe during and after the Cold War (1945–2020)
Paper 3: Europe: Regional study 6: Europe and the First World War
In progress at the moment we also have Paper 2 Conflict - Cold War and Paper 2 Conflict - First World War . The Falklands War is the next Conflict in the pipeline!
We have also now added guidelines for the IA for teachers and also IA guidelines for students.
Finally…We have another online training session for the new curriculum:
22nd September 16.00 CET
In this 3 hour virtual Think-In, we will address the key changes to the 2028 course.
Topics covered include:
Understanding the new syllabus - content, concepts and contexts, plus the new assessment models for all 3 papers
Advice and preparation for planning and delivering the new course
Resources to support teachers.
Addressing questions and concerns.
To book a place at the Think-In go to https://inthinking.net/ and click on Think-Ins
Hope to see you there!