The 11th of September

The 11th of September carries memories. On that date in 2001, I was having breakfast in the house at Piney Branch Road in Washington DC, where I was living at the time. CNN was on in the living room. All of a sudden my friend Tom screamed, in a very American way, “dude, what is going on”. We then watched the second plane hit the WTC, and my only lecture at Johns Hopkins SAIS that day was cancelled. The speaker who couldn’t show up? Condoleezza Rice. The world has changed a lot since that day.

* * *

One fantastic woman who had a strong compass when navigating through complex and difficult political situations was Anna Lindh. Three years have passed, my memories of the days around the 11th of September 2003 feel close and yet distant at the same time. Tonight I will lead a seminar about Anna Lindh and her work for a sustainable development. I feel very honored, to say the least. Carin Jämtin, Marita Ulvskog and Måns Lönnroth are the participants and I am confident it will be a nice evening honoring one of Sweden’s best politicians ever.

* * *

If you feel like it, read Göran Persson's speech to the nation following the death of Anna Lindh here [both English and Swedish].