Did 9/11 Really Change Everything?

The September 11, 2001 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. The attacks prompted the U.S. government to launch military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, establish the Department of Homeland Security, and expand surveillance programs including those revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013. Economic impacts included stock market closures, increased airline security costs, and changes to insurance and real estate markets. Historians and policy analysts continue to debate the attacks' long-term effects on American foreign policy, domestic security measures, and civil liberties.

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