Fragile Liberties

A Moment That Changed More Than a Skyline

Twenty-four years ago, on September 11, 2001, the world watched in shock as planes struck the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, while a fourth fell in a Pennsylvania field. Nearly three thousand lives were lost in a single morning. It was a tragedy that scarred families, communities, and nations.

But beyond the immediate horror, 9/11 marked something else: the first click of a ratchet that would reshape civil liberties across the Western world.