econtalk

Where were you on 9/11?

Most of us remember well, as do I. Just like when JFK was killed (Cao Lanh, Vietnam), and MLK (driving from Pa to DC) and Robert Kennedy (DC), I remember exactly where I was. I was at a seminar in the FAO headquarters in Rome. One of my American colleagues came breathlessly into the room and said there was a plane that hit one of the trade center towers in NYC, so we rushed to a TV to watch in horror. At some point I called my wife and told her to turn on the TV. My sister and niece were visiting us and they were not aware anything was happening. I soon went home to join them and sit in stunned silence while taking in the series of tragedies that followed that day.

Our visitors, of course, had to stay longer than planned due to flight disruptions; but the most memorable feeling after that tragic day was the outpouring of condolence and good well from all our friends, colleagues and even strangers in Rome. I have spent many years abroad in many countries, but seldom have I felt such deep and sincere comraderie with those around me while living or traveling abroad. In fact, the only similar experience was in Vietnam when JFK was killed, and it was like a loss to the whole world. But here the deaths were unknown to any of us, and still we Americans were treated like family to all of them. People mourned with us and consoled us just as if a dear family member had been suddenly killed in a tragic way.

So sad, then, that only a few years later I can hardly go to Europe without hearing and feeling a strong sense of disappointment and separation that has taken place since that day. It is like the commonality we felt that day on 9/11/01 and in the days that followed has been eroded by years of neglect. It is more than neglect, because the Bush Administration has not only neglected to build upon this moment of shared interest and the widespread consensus on action in Afganistan, but actually thumbed its nose at long held alliances, share interests and agreements among friendly nations while forging its "go it alone" policy in Iraq. Lost opportunities, lost connections, lost hopes: that is the legacy of this Government.

posted by econtalk @ 8:28 PM