Fascinante la lecture des éditoriaux que publient aujourd'hui le Washington Post et le New York Times à l'occasion du 10e anniversaire des attentats du 11 septembre 2001. Malgré toutes les erreurs qu'ils ont commises au cours des dix dernières années, les Américains peuvent être fiers de ce qu'ils ont fait et accompli depuis les attaques d'Al-Qaïda, conclut le Post dans son édito dont je cite un extrait dans le texte :

Confronted with those realities, two administrations, one Republican and one Democratic, accepted the same strategic truths: The United States must protect itself at home as much as it sensibly can while taking the fight to its enemies overseas - and on both fronts, law enforcement and war are not enough. Abroad, aggression must be coupled with efforts to promote development and democracy in places that would otherwise breed terrorism. At home, vigilance must be coupled with tolerance and economic growth, so that the nation can remain both welcoming and strong. Altogether that is not an easy strategy for a democracy to sustain, because it is expensive, unproven and guaranteed to encounter setbacks. Given the scope of the challenge, the country should give itself some credit for what it has achieved.

L'édito du Times arrive à une conclusion diamétralement opposée : les Américains voulaient être appelés à changer au lendemain des attentats du 11 septembre et ne l'ont jamais été, d'où un sentiment de perte dix ans plus tard. Je cite le Times dans le texte :

But America has not been enlarged in the years that have passed. Based on false pretexts, we were drawn into a misdirected war that has exacted enormous costs in lives and money. Our civic life is tainted by a rise in xenophobia that betrays our best ideals. As we prepared for a war on terrorism, we gave in to a weakening of the civil liberties that have been the foundation of our culture.