It’s hard to identify any real change in the aftermath of September 11

IT was instantly hailed as “the day that changed the world forever”, but as we approach the first anniversary of September 11 and the inevitable saturation of media coverage, a consensus has not yet emerged as to the nature or extent of those changes.

The issue has generated much soul searching regarding the nature and values of contemporary society, America's relationship with rest of the world, how best to respond to the terrorist attacks, the most appropriate way to honour and commemorate the dead, how to rebuild the World Trade Center site but few conclusions have been reached.

In the current issue of Newsweek, some leading American historians are asked how September 11 will rank in history. Joyce Appleby concludes: "It will take its place along with Pearl Harbor, which is to say it will be very vivid in the memory." Alan Brinkley, however, cautions that we need to make a distinction between history and memory.