Blood in the Sand: Imperial Fantasies, Right-Wing Ambitions, and the Erosion of American Democracy

Introduction: The Legacy of 9/11— Chronicles of a Dark Time

1 INTRODUCTION Introduction In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the day on which the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington were attacked by Islamic terrorists, commentators from virtually every media outlet concurred in the belief that “everything has changed.” Few doubted that this event had ripped the fabric of history. Many suggested that the post– September 11 world would prove less innocent, more serious, and more reflective and that significant changes would mark the economic, political, and cultural life of the United States. Insofar as 9/11 created the belief that America was vulnerable to outside attack, that the worst form of antimodern resentment had crystallized in the tragic deaths of 3,000 civilians, and that the “enemy” is not situated in any particular country but rather in a certain region of the world, the symbolic radicalism of the event can hardly be overestimated. New issues were indeed put on the agenda: “security” against future terrorist attacks became an obsession, a new enemy—an Islamic one—took center stage, “moral values” turned into a slogan, a crude populism gripped the country, and belief in the right to engage in a “preemptive strike” came to define American foreign policy. But although this particular anxiety about an enemy attack on American soil is new, its political translation into a fixation on security and the constriction of civil liberties goes back to the early days of the The Legacy of 9/11—Chronicles of a Dark Time 2 BLOOD IN THE SAND Republic. In the same way, although anti-Arab sentiment is, according to Edward Said, “the last legitimate form of prejudice ,” vilifying an enemy in time of “war” is not new either: America used the image of the “Hun,” the “Jap,” and the “gook” in other wars in similar ways. Moreover, religion and traditional values usually blossom in periods of crisis; science, progress, and secular truth have never offered much existential comfort. As for vulgar populism, its “know-nothing” excesses constitute what historian Richard Hofstadter termed the “paranoid streak” in American history. It would also be a mistake to think that the new legitimacy accorded to unilateral action and the preemptive strike constitutes a break from the past. Quite the contrary: America has never had much use for the United Nations or for international law and institutions such as the International Court of Justice, and Latin America has been the subject of intervention and coercion since the introduction of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. September 11 has not produced a geopolitical transformation of genuine consequence. No remapping of the world has taken place. No alternative to the nation-state has been articulated , and no new and positive response to globalization has been generated. Existing states have not fallen, new ones have not risen, and a number of nations have used the idea of waging a war against terror to advance their own domestic, national aims. What is unique about the aftermath of 9/11 cannot be gleaned from the inflated rhetoric of politicians on both sides of the aisle or from the servile media constantly peeking over their shoulders. Democratic developments have gingerly begun in parts of the Middle East, but they should not be overestimated; nor should the American role in bringing them about. The real legacy of 9/11 can be found in the way that the most reactionary and militaristic tendencies of American history have congealed and been legitimated. Or, to put it an- 3 INTRODUCTION other way, since 9/11, economic imbalances of power have become more extreme, political authoritarianism has become more appealing, imperialist ambitions have intensified, and the cultural climate in America has become more constrained than ever before. To be sure, the events of 9/11 brought out a spirit of unity in the American people. We witnessed police officers, firefighters, and rescue workers risking their lives in the rubble of downtown New York City. America gained a new international standing; its bereaved citizens were accorded sympathy from virtually every corner of the planet. Sadness mixed with fury at the wanton character of the attack. It was unjustifiable in spite of the United States’ role in globalization, its imperialist traditions, or its support of Israel and the corrupt monarchy of Saudi Arabia. But the time was still ripe for engaging in what might be termed a “working through of the past.” September 11 offered us a chance...