Remembering 9/11

Photo by Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images

Twenty years later, the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City and Washington remain a profound event in American history. This page collects some significant past City Journal stories on these events, as well as new reflections.

    • Protecting New York by Judith Miller
      Born in the ashes of 9/11, the NYPD’s counterterrorism program remains the envy of the world. September 10, 2021

    • Twenty Years After 9/11, 10 Blocks podcast
      Steven Malanga joins Brian Anderson to discuss the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the sense of patriotism that emerged in their aftermath, and the nation’s waning interest in Islamist terrorism. September 10, 2021

    • Dismal Sequels by Lance Morrow
      Twenty years after 9/11, Afghanistan has reverted to the Taliban and America has disappeared down a rabbit hole. September 9, 2021

    • From Empty to Empty by Nicole Gelinas
      After 9/11, New York didn’t rebuild wisely—and that failure hurts the city in the current crisis. September 8, 2021

    • When Flags Waved by Steven Malanga
      The stirring response by New Yorkers and Americans everywhere to the 9/11 terrorist attacks is a reminder of what the country used to be—and can be again. September 7, 2021

    • Looking Back—and Forward by  Brian C. Anderson
      The 9/11 attacks inaugurated an era of disasters, but New York has come through them all before and can do so again. September 2, 2021

    • Target: New York by Judith Miller
      Eighteen years after the 9/11 attacks, Islamist extremism doesn’t make much news—but it’s not for lack of trying. September 10, 2019

    • Target of Opportunity by Steven Malanga
      Roaring back from the devastation of 9/11, Lower Manhattan remade itself into a vibrant, successful neighborhood—one reason why a terrorist wanted to attack it. November 7, 2017

    • Who Lost Ground Zero? by Stephen Eide
      A new history of the World Trade Center rebuilding finds much blame to go around. October 14, 2016

    • Another Anniversary by Matthew Hennessey
      Fifteen years after 9/11, timeless truths endure. September 9, 2016

    • New York 9/11/11 by Judith Miller
      Ten years after the terror attacks, the city is safer, thanks to the NYPD—but the threat remains. Summer 2011

    • The Last Full Measure by Steven Malanga
      Gotham may not know how to honor the 9/11 dead, but the suburbs do. Summer 2006

    • Downtown Rising by Nicole Gelinas
      Despite Pataki and Bloomberg, the private sector is fixing lower Manhattan. Spring 2006

    • The Monument They Deserve by Myron Magnet
      Our memorial to the victims of the World Trade Center attack should be an affirmation of our values, not just a cry of grief. Spring 2002

    • The Twin Towers Project: A Cautionary Tale by Brian C. Anderson
      The building of the World Trade Center showed what happens when pols and bureaucrats, rather than the market, control redevelopment. Autumn 2001

    • What We Have to Lose by Theodore Dalrymple
      Our civilization is more precious, and more fragile, than most people suppose. Autumn 2001

    • What Made Them Do Their Duty? by Victor Davis Hanson
      At the Twin Towers, cops and firemen showed they really were New York’s Finest, New York’s Bravest. Autumn 2001