But the next day, Sept. 12, 2001, was also historic. That was the day America’s staunchest allies stood with us in solidarity, ready to respond in America’s time of need. Instead, on Sept. 12, 2001, it was America’s closest friends across the Atlantic and Canada who pledged to help us respond to a very different type of attack. While the circumstances of Al Qaeda’s 2001 attacks on the United States were unforeseen in 1949, the alliance performed as intended. When terrorists struck the United States in 2001, NATO adapted.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2016 22:41 UTC