In this opinion piece for the Mexican newspaper El Universal, columnist Carlos Heredia Zubieta marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. The Twin Towers, once icons of the Manhattan skyline, were destroyed when hijacked commercial airliners struck the buildings, killing nearly 3,000 people and triggering a chain of events that would define the following decades of world affairs.
Writing from a distance of 25 years, the author uses the anniversary as a starting point to reflect on how that day changed the course of international relations, US foreign policy, and the way governments around the world approach national security. The piece situates the attacks within a longer arc of history, considering their lasting effects on everything from military interventions abroad to domestic surveillance and immigration policy in the United States and beyond.
Because op-eds like this one are meant to spark reflection rather than simply report facts, the column invites readers to think critically about the legacy of that tragic day and what lessons, if any, the world has truly absorbed in the quarter-century since.
To read Heredia Zubieta’s full analysis and personal perspective, check out the original article on El Universal’s website.
Source: A 25 años de las Torres Gemelas (eluniversal.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: joiseyshowaa, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).