Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Why 9/11 Still Matters: Reflecting on America’s Wars and Consequences
The article says 9/11 should be remembered not only for the people killed that day, but also for what happened afterward.
It argues that the United States responded with wars in several countries.
The writer says these wars caused enormous suffering and displacement.
A study from Brown University is cited as estimating hundreds of thousands of direct deaths and millions of indirect deaths.
The article also says the wars cost about $8 trillion.
It claims that the United States still has strong financial influence over Iraq’s oil income.
The writer believes American politics often focuses more on domestic fuel prices than on harm caused overseas.
The article asks readers to think about how powerful countries use military and economic influence.
The article argues that the 25th anniversary of 9/11 should prompt reflection on its causes and aftermath.
It contends that United States military restraint is driven more by domestic economic concerns than by moral opposition to war.
The article says Iraq’s oil revenues remain under United States financial influence through deposits at the New York Federal Reserve.
A Brown University study cited in the article estimates 900,000 direct war deaths and 4.5 million indirect deaths in post-9/11 war zones.
The article says the post-9/11 wars displaced nearly 40 million people and cost about $8 trillion, excluding future interest.
- Who
- Aakar Patel, the article’s author, discusses the United States, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela, and people affected by post-9/11 wars.
- What
- The article examines the causes and consequences of 9/11 and the wars and economic influence that followed.
- When
- The discussion is framed around the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- Where
- The events and consequences discussed involve the United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Iran, and Venezuela.
- Why
- The author argues that the anniversary should encourage broader reflection on war, civilian suffering, economic influence, and the imbalance of global power.
- Anniversary
- The article addresses the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- Post-9/11 war deaths
- A Brown University study cited by the article estimates 900,000 direct deaths and 4.5 million indirect deaths.
- Displacement
- Nearly 40 million people were displaced by wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and the Philippines.
- War cost
- The article cites an estimated cost of about $8 trillion, excluding future interest on war borrowing.
- Iraq’s oil revenue
- The article says crude oil provides around 90% of Iraq’s state budget.
- Financial control
- The article says Iraq’s oil revenues must be deposited in an Iraqi account at the New York Federal Reserve.
- Venezuela oil deal
- The article says a United States company was given a 100-year concession over 17 Venezuelan oilfields amounting to 65 billion barrels of crude.