9/11 then and now: Do September 2001 attacks still shape our world?

One occurrence in a generation—often simply a moment in a person’s life—can shatter the entire planet’s collective consciousness. Twenty‑five years after the tragedy, the question arises whether the memory of the September 2001 attacks against the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania persists as a vivid, urgent reality—or if it has faded into obscurity among modern narratives.

In the aftermath, the globe was still wrestling with the conclusion of the Cold War. Intelligence operatives who had mastered espionage in Russia suddenly needed to learn Arabic themselves; the element of surprise deepened as non‑state actors killed thousands on U.S. territory. Over each successive memorial, these moments have become uniquely defined, marking their own distinct historical periods.

A commemoration ten years ago unfolded amid the devastation of the Paris attacks and the emergence of ISIS seeking to impose a caliphate across Syria and Iraq. Five years earlier, the same ritual took place against the backdrop of a novel, unseen epidemic—the COVID‑19 pandemic that united the entire world in a shared struggle. Each pause invites inquiry into the enduring dialogue between past catastrophes and present challenges.

Our panel will explore how the current moment informs—and is informed by—history: a world more integrated than ever, yet paradoxically divided and unstable as the balance of power between longstanding allies and emerging rivals continues to shift. The central question: what insights can we draw from the legacy of September 11th?
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Produced by François Picard, Maya Yataghène, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Andrew Hilliar.

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