Perhaps the most poignant statement in Zakaria’s essay is one that highlights the changes seen in the American economy and its global position following the events of September 11, 2011, “the world was at peace, and the United States … posted a large budget surplus. Oil was at $28 a barrel… Today, America is at war across the globe; it has a deficit of $1.5 trillion and oil is at $115 a barrel. China is now the world’s second largest economy”. I can remember being a girl and thinking back on historical moments that had defined generations past. The assassination of President Kennedy, Pearl Harbor, the war in Vietnam; each of these historical events ultimately defined and shaped generations. Throughout my reflections, it would never cross my mind that my generation would become defined by the terroristic acts of Osama Bin Laden which played out on September 11, 2001 and years of war in the Middle East.
Every American remembers where they were that morning. I was a sophomore in high school, sitting in my first period history class, when an announcement was made by our principal for all teachers to turn on the classroom television sets and allow students to watch the acts of terrorism made against the World Trade Center. We all watched in horror and disbelief, some of us in tears, as we realized that this was the start of a new America, 3000 lives were lost that day and there would be no turning