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Twenty years after 9/11, the U.S. finds itself on the other side of the looking-glass
WASHINGTON — Fiery explosions, the innocent falling from the sky, presidential vows of vengeance: America’s 20-year war on terror seemed to end much the way it began.
The searing parallels that bookend the two decades — shaken commanders-in-chief promising retribution for a devastating suicide attack; triumphant Taliban militants in Afghanistan and a military transport fleeing Kabul — might suggest little has changed.
Of course, since Sept. 11, virtually everything has.
The south tower of the World Trade Center had just collapsed, acrid black smoke was pouring from the Pentagon, United Airlines Flight 93 was on a collision course with the U.S. capital and Michael Kergin’s phone was ringing.