13. 2001 brought a period of relative peace and stability to an end and the year will live on in infamy, not just for Americans, but for people of the world.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the Soviet Union ushered in what can be seen as a period of relative stability. One scholar even confidently predicted ‘the end of history’ since all major conflicts and ideological clashes had seemingly come to an end. Such relative peace and the associated sense of optimism came crashing down on September 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks in the United States left thousands of people dead in both New York City and Washington D.C.
What’s more, the infamous events of 2001 led to wars across the Middle East, most notably with the invasions of Afghanistan and then Iraq. Furthermore, much of the war, violence and instability still being experienced in the Middle East today can be arguably traced back to 2001. The ‘War on Terror’, launched in 2001, has also been blamed for clampdown on civil liberties in numerous countries around the world. So, while 2016 or 2018 may appear to be grim, even compared to some more recent years, the present really isn’t so bad.