The events of September 11 changed the American nation and forced millions of people to understand the real threat of terrorism and Jihad for the international community. Political leaders and philosophers, military leaders, and sociologists have developed conspiracy theories of 9/11 trying to explain the attacks, the involvement of the government, and its response to the attacks. Despite the facts and figures proposed by the conspiracy theories, all of them lack clear evidence and official documents which could prove the hypotheses.
The majority of the conspiracy theories claim that the US government knew about the attacks but had ignored a threat. Critics explain that the US government had received numerous warnings and anonymous letters informing about terrorist attacks and the date of the attacks (Rothschild 67). Despite all attempts of the US government to protect its citizens against terrorist attacks, the government lost control over social security. Also, critics underline that President Bush and the state authorities did not inform the public about possible threats afraid of militarization of society and civil disobedience movements (Jasper 45).
Another layer of theories states that the events of September 2001 were initiated by the US military and the government which tried to gain the confidence of the American people and inspires racial envy and militarization (Hari 34). This is one of the most controversial theories because there are no official documents and facts which could prove this hypothesis. Also, some researchers claim that the American military had been interested in these attacks which helped them to prepare the ground for the Iraqi war. Before the attacks, the American military had stated: “the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor” (Rebuilding America’s Defenses 2000). It is possible to assume that the US government needed to gain the trust and faith of the American citizens but, on the other hand, the deaths of thousands of people only lowered its ‘image’ and showed inadequate security measures and social support it provided.
There is a point of view that the events of September 9/11 were a controlled demolition. Critics reject this conspiracy theory stating that: “demolition professionals always blow the bottom floors of a structure first, but the WTC tower collapses began at the upper levels, where the planes hit the buildings”. Also, seismographs in other areas of the city did not record any changes or seismic activity. Some journalists and researchers claim that that Flight 93 was shot down. Critics reject this theory because “the cockpit voice recorder of this flight [proves] that the passenger revolt caused the hijackers to deliberately crash the plane.”
There is a conspiracy theory which states that ‘Flight 93’ was just a missile fired by elements. On the other hand, the weak point is that the theorists do not take into account that the bodies of the passengers were found near Pentagon. The flight black box proved that the plane was hijacked and crashed by Muslim patriots. Also, some critics suppose that “insider trading in the stocks of United Airlines and American Airlines just before September 11 is evidence of advance knowledge of the plot” (The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories 2006).
It is possible to reject all conspiracy theories because terrorist attacks had been widely used by Muslims and other interest groups since the 1970s. The undeniable fact is that Al-Qaida and bin Laden officially confirmed their involvement in these attacks. Bin Laden states: “We calculated in advance the number of casualties … who would be killed” (The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories 2006). The main claims promulgated by al-Qaeda against the USA also included: unauthorized use of the Arabian national resources; an unlawful intrusion into political affairs of those countries, support of the abusive regimes; military bases in Arabian countries, etc. It is important to note that the openness of liberal-democratic societies is a factor in making them vulnerable to terrorist assault like the event of 9/11. All conspiracy theories lack evidence and factual data to support the arguments and hypotheses proposed by researchers. The main factor against all conspiracy theories is that before the attacks, the USA had stood in opposition to Arabic countries providing aggressive international politics, and these attacks became a response to its international politics and aggressive actions towards global terrorism. Dissatisfied with American policy in the Middle East terrorists started to destroy everyone they were as a threat to their national and religious existence.
Works Cited
Baker, G., Neo-Conspiracy Theories. The National Interest, 78, 2004, 34.
Hari, J. Conspiracy Theories: A Guide. New Statesman, 131, 2002: 34.
Jasper, W.F. 9-11 Conspiracy Fact & Fiction. The New American, 21, 2005: 45-46.
Rebuilding America’s Defenses. 2000. Web.
Rothschild, M. Enough Conspiracy Theories, Already. The Progressive, 2006: 67-68.
The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories. 2006. Web.