Speeches

After September 11

September 12, 2005

Op-ed by U.S. Ambassador John D. Rood commemorating the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America.

Some events are so shocking that nearly everyone who experiences them remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news. Examples are the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King and the morning of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center was destroyed. I was in my Jacksonville office expecting a normal work day. Instead I -- and millions of others -- watched our televisions transfixed as that morning's horrible events unfolded before our eyes. It is hard to believe that 9/11 took place four years ago. Today the memories remain as vivid and emotional as they were on that September day.

The impact of the events of September 11 will be felt for generations. It was not the first terror attack -- the Beirut Marine barracks, the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, the attack on the USS Cole and many others preceded it. Nor will it be the last -- as the deaths in Bali, Madrid, Beslan, and London have reminded us.

The lasting significance of 9/11 instead comes from the dramatic way it changed our view of the world. It is a dividing line in history similar to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the break-up of the Soviet Union that together marked the end of the Cold War. 9/11 forced us to realize that the end of the Cold War was not the end of conflict. It was the close of one chapter and the beginning of another. This new chapter presents very different – but very real -- threats to our ideals of freedom, peace and democracy.

For decades America's strategy was based on the concept of deterrence, an assumption that hostile nations would not attack us, fearing an overwhelming military response. Such traditional logic of deterrence holds no sway when an attacker has nothing to lose and is unconcerned about their own survival. Even more troubling, as we saw four years ago, terrorists have no reservations about targeting innocent civilians.

9/11 fundamentally altered how we evaluate risk and uncertainty. Risks that seemed manageable prior to 9/11 have since become intolerable. We see this everyday within the United States and abroad.

To address the challenges of today's threats, we are vigorously advancing the cause of freedom and liberty around the world. In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime that sheltered and empowered Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda is no more. In its place is a government of the people, led by Hamid Karzai, the first democratically-elected President in Afghanistan's history. The Iraqi Transitional National Assembly has drafted a new constitution for approval by popular referendum, which will soon lead to a new government after decades of despotism. As President Bush has said, we will seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

Four years after 9/11 the images of that morning are still very vivid. Even though we have not eliminated terrorism from the world, we are better prepared now to identify and take actions to address this threat. We are more alert and more determined than ever to advance and defend our cherished ideals. We have many allies in this fight, including The Bahamas. Drawing on shared principles, common dedication to democracy and the rule of the law, our two countries are building a safer, more secure and prosperous world. Together we can turn the page on the scenes of terrorist destruction, and open a new and brighter chapter in our common history.