Again on Sept/11

 I watched the whole series on Sept/11 by Netflix. Some random impressions

1. were videos back in 2001 so low quality?! I remember 'decent' quality videos of the collapse of the Twin Towers.

2. The attack on the Pentagon is still the biggest mystery nobody really explained.

3. So many mistakes in the Afghanistan war(s) by all US administrations and allies (yes, Obama made huge mistakes too). It was astonishing to hear former FBI directors and high-level officials.

4. G.W. Bush got something personal in those tragedies. It was his great opportunity to show his father how good he was, but then Sept/11... then the UNJUSTIFIABLE war in Iraq until the complete, desperate disaster he left on his path. This would deserve an ancient Greek tragedy…

5. When you wage war, you must be clear about what victory will mean. 

6. Afghani landscapes are amazing, so beautiful. It’s sad to see such a devastated country.

7. Too many (incl. Netflix) forget that the origin of the Afghani crisis is the devastating colonization by the British. Like in Israel. And many other post-British mandates in the region. It’d be enough to read Wikipedia…

8. The attack to the Twin Towers was and is still a tragedy to be elaborated by many.

9. bin Laden was a genious and a terrorist. But mainly a terrorist.

10. How can you come back after you ‘go’ Guantanamo? Are you ‘better than them’ if you’re torturing your prisoners? That decision undermines the trust we can have in the self-declared biggest democracy in the world. 

Ok. Just some ideas. I’d love to have the opportunity to discuss it over a beer. 

In person. Somewhere.

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About Sept/11

I'm watching the Netflix series on Sept/11. 

"How is it possible they hate us so much?". This was the most shocking question that arose just after that tragic date. It is a crucial question to understand "why" Osama bin Laden took such a tragic decision. Reacting with anger as W. did was unwise; it was essential to understand the 'why' of the enemy. When I was saying this, many friends accused me of being a bin Laden's supporter because it was impossible to rationalise such a criminal act. Yet, September 11 was no accident. It was a deliberate, well planned terroristic attack. You've to assume your enemy is acting in a rational way to defeat him. Only if you assume that bin Laden was acting for (his/their) own good you can understand, then react in the best, effective way. Back in the 90s, the US were the only global power after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The US was convinced of being invincible and undoubtedly good, given how bad the Soviets were. Unfortunately, the world was more complex. 

 The second big question in my mind is about the attack to the Pentagon. How is it possible they hit the headquarter of the most powerful army in the world? This happens even after the Twin Towers were hit. I expect the Pentagon to be the most defended area in the world. All alerts should have been activated immediately after the first attack on the Twin Towers. How is it possible that the Pentagon was so vulnerable? I know it’s mainly offices, not an operational base, but it’s symbolic value is known everywhere in the world. If the attack to the Twin Towers was unthinkable, any general knows that s/he must defend the headquarter against any possible attack. That’s something nobody yet explained me, not in a convincing way. 

Anyway, History has shown us that the US reaction was a failure. George W. Bush will be remembered as an unfit President in the most tragic page of US history. Because reality is always more complex than good vs bad guys!

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Insieme

Insieme. 8 anni di avventure con l'anello al dito. 2 figli meravigliosi, troppi traslochi. Milano e Bruxelles, Tradate e Capoliveri, ma anche Vienna e Mulhose, insieme, in attesa di poter visitare New York! Le mie arrabbiature per il disordine, le infinite chiacchiere. Il primo bacio, il primo pannolino cambiato. Insieme. I libri e i lego, imparare a leggere e andare in monopattino. Il calcio e Carcassone. Le foto e le chat Whatsapp. Gli amici i parenti i nonni cugini zii le babysitter e un po' anche quelli che ci sono stati antipatici. Chi é arrivato, chi è passato, chi c'è sempre stato. Ospedali e crèche, materna e primaria, zaventem o il San Gottardo. Insieme. Sant'Ambrogio e santo Stefano, st Bernard e st Alene, dalle feste in via Eustachi a quelle da Little Gym. Insieme in italiano e in francese, forse un po' meno in inglese e nederlandese. Insieme sul palco, ma a ognuno il suo piatto. Abbiamo sfangato il confinamento da pandemia, gli avvocati e qualche osso rotto (miei...). Insieme a fare i rappresentanti dei genitori non ha funzionato ma poco importa. Insieme a provare birre belghe o improbabili verdurine altamente sostenibili. Insieme a gustare deliziose grigliate in bolla o cene romantiche col tramonto dell'Elba. Insieme a parlare, insieme a dormire che dai ancora 5 minuti, no? Insieme. Insieme a Massimo e Giulio e tutti gli altri. Insieme in nuove avventure e nel tornare a casa. Insieme.

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