Did Sept. 11, 2001, change the world? Some say no.

~ Editor's note: One event. Two views. As the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks approaches, America is of two minds about the attacks' significance. Some say the event profoundly altered American society. Some say that, all in all, the attacks did not change much. In the second of two parts, the Southeast Missourian looks at the latter view.

A recent headline about today's five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks may be shocking to many, offensive to some and simply odd for others.

"The day nothing much changed," it says.

But for William J. Dobson -- the article's author and the managing editor of the national magazine Foreign Policy -- it's none of those things.

For him, it's a true statement.

"We've all heard that Sept. 11 changed the world," Dobson said in a telephone interview from his office in Washington, D.C. "Our life changes for many reasons all the time. But 9-11 did not represent a real, fundamental change, in my view, at least in the state of global affairs."

Or as the article boldly claims, "for all the sound and fury, the world looks much like it did on Sept. 10."

Dobson, a journalist who has worked at Newsweek and has appeared as a guest on National Public Radio and CNN, allows his article to make his case for him. He points out that a Pew Research Center poll, taken shortly after the attacks, indicated that people across the globe agreed that the events of Sept. 11 amounted to a turning point in world history.

But that hasn't been the case, he says. There were predictions that globalization would grind to a halt. Borders would be locked down as governments looked to shield themselves from the next attack. Industries like tourism and air travel would be crippled.

But Dobson points out that none of those predictions came true and that Sept. 11 did not "usher in a new era" and that the "constants outweigh the variations."

For example, the headlines on Sept. 10, 2001, were these:

* "Israeli Tanks Encircle a City in West Bank" -- Washington Post

* "Scientist Urge Bigger Supply of Stem Cells" -- New York Times

* "Iran: Denial on Nuclear Weapons" -- New York Times

"Sound so different?" Dobson asked. "How did they change? We're still talking about the same things."

Dobson also points to other factors. For example, the Dow Jones on Sept. 10 closed at 9,605.51. After the markets reopened, he said, it took only 40 days to get above that level again. The value of U.S. monthly exports has also continued to rise from $60 billion to more than $75 billion between 2001 and 2005.

Even hard-hit businesses such as the tourist industry bounced back, in a degree that Dobson calls "remarkably fast." In 2001, more than 688 million U.S. tourists traveled abroad, the article says. By 2005, that number had climbed to 808 million -- a 17 percent increase in four years.

"Confidence returned so quickly," Dobson writes, "that we are not even shying away from building skyscrapers."

Fourteen buildings taller than the World Trade Center have either been built or have begun construction since Sept. 11, 2001.

As far as locking borders, Dobson says that hasn't happened either. More foreigners were naturalized in 2005 than in 1998, and the number of naturalizations jumped 12 percent from 2004 to 2005.

Dobson argues the United States is a target because it is the world's only superpower, which "throws the world out of balance." He said that the more important day -- from a global perspective -- was New Year's Eve 1991, when the Soviet Union "threw in the towel."

"That's the day that made us a target," he said. "If I have the nicest car on my block, which car are the kids going to pick to throw eggs at?"

Some statistics suggest that Sept. 11 hasn't had a huge impact on Americans, outside of those who had friends and family who died in the attacks.

A recent news poll shows that about 30 percent of Americans can't even say what year the attacks happened. USA Today recently noted that blood banks across the country collected 251,370 units of blood -- nearly three times the normal intake -- in the four days following Sept. 11. Now, blood supplies are depleted. The American Red Cross Missouri-Illinois region, for example, reported recently that it had only three units of B-negative blood units and just over a half-day supply of O-negative.

Military recruitment was up after the attacks, too. Then last year, the active-duty Army missed its February recruiting goal by more than 27 percent. It was the first time since 9-11 that the Army failed to meet a monthly target.

Southeast Missouri residents could even see Dobson's point. When the question was first posed to several people at the SEMO District Fair Saturday -- did Sept. 11 change the world? -- people said they felt like that yes was the politically correct answer.

But not the honest one.

"It didn't really change my life," said Ellen Hale of Thebes, Ill. "Everything's pretty much the same. You feel sad about the people who died. I feel for their families. But nothing seems different today. Not really."

Lynn Winkler of Cape Girardeau finds himself thinking about Sept. 11, mainly when there are reports on the news, such as the recent death of a soldier in Jackson. Reluctantly, he said, it has also made him more aware of Muslims.

"To be honest -- and I know this is going to sound prejudiced -- when I see them, I want to watch my back," he said. "It's prejudice to say that in the land of free and the home of the brave, but it's the truth."

But as far as his day-to-day life, he said: "It's pretty much business as usual."

Dr. Peter Hirschburg, a sociology professor at Southeast Missouri State University, said the world may feel different for people, but their lives aren't actually much different than before.

"If you were to look at the daily lives of people, particularly throughout our region, how are our lives different other than oil prices, which is really only indirectly related to 9-11?" he said. "I don't think their lives have changed very much, at least in terms of the way they behave."

Both Dobson and Hirschburg wanted it clear they're not talking about victims or victims' families, who have had their lives tragically changed forever. But for everyone else, the differences are slight.

"People have feelings or beliefs that things are somehow different," he said. "But I generally ask my students if they feel afraid, do they think we're going to be attacked and they're very complacent about it."

For some, it's etched into their minds because of the images on television and the sense of patriotism that came afterward.

"But it seems so far removed now," said Rhonda Eads of Clubb, Mo. "I think people have just gone on with their lives. You have to. All you can do is put your life in God's hands and hold on tight."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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