The panelists included powerhouse names in International Relations, including Bill Graham, Chancellor of Trinity College, Michael Ignatieff, Professor of Political Science, Margaret MacMillan, former Provost of Trinity College, and Janice Stein, Director of the Munk School.

The panel did more than simply reiterate the events of 9/11 and recount where they were at the time of the attack – they considered its consequences and the consequences of remembering it. Ronald Pruessen, Deputy Director of the Munk School and the event’s organizer hoped that the night would be a chance for “reflection…which is not always part of academics.”

To Stein, there is “a risk that we give too much weight to [9/11].” MacMillan suggested that 9/11 has “contributed to US exceptionalism.”

The panel attempted to understand 9/11’s effect on Canada, specifically; Graham cautioned Canadians to “make sure we adopt policies which are realistic and our own.”

Students at Trinity College are part of what Ignatieff defines as the “9/11 generation”; 9/11 was the first major political event of most of their lives. He and MacMillan agree that this generation “will digest and inform [9/11] for the rest of their lives.”

This was the first of a series of discussions on “disasters” in our society to be hosted by the Munk School.