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9/11 Research Paper Topics & Essay Samples

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• 📌 Simple & Easy 9/11 Essay Titles

❓ Research Questions About 9/11

• David Foster Wallace on 9/11, as Seen from the Midwest
• 9/11: Impact on the American Society
• 9/11 Reminder That History Is Always Incomplete
• Global Impact of 9-11 Events on Terrorism Prevention
• September 11, 2001 Attacks: What We Have Learned About Terrorism Since 9,11
• Post-9/11 Veterans in Business
• 9/11 Unmasked: Investigation of Attacks
• Securing Airports in the Aftermath of 9-11
• The Cold War and the Events of September 11
• The Key 9-11 Conspiracy Theory

Consequences of the September 11th, 2001 Attack

Make a paper describing the impact of the attack on the Twin Towers on the emotional and physical well-being of its survivors and witnesses. Explain the short and long-term effects of this traumatic experience and if it changed the way psychologists approach treating similar patients in 2024.

Islamic State and Al-Qaeda: A Global Strategy for Combating

Write an essay detailing the effects of the 9/11 attacks in fighting terrorist organizations such as the Taliban, al Qaeda, and the Islamic State. Describe the effectiveness of counterterrorism practices the US and its NATO allies adopted to deal with the threat of radical Islamist organizations.

Urban Terrorism in the United States

Evaluate the threat level urban terrorism poses in the US. Provide different opinions and establish groups with the highest potential for violent activity in 2024. Assess the role of political propaganda from the Democratic and Republican parties to add fuel to the fire and radicalize their voters.

Can Terrorism Ever Be Justified?

Make an analytical paper concerning the justification of violence to achieve political ends. Establish if this practice is completely immoral or if there are cases where it can be acceptable. Provide examples of real-life terrorist attacks that can fall into this gray area and offer your point of view on this question.

Terrorism Prevention and Scenario Planning

Assess the effectiveness of current terrorism prevention practices and scenarios US and European law enforcement agencies use. Explain the highest risk factors that drive people to extremism, the most plausible scenarios, and recommendations police and other institutions can use to minimize risks from this phenomenon.

• What are the main causes of the 9/11 attack?
• How did al Qaeda organize and perform the attack on the Twin Towers?
• What were the short and long-term effects of this act of terrorism?
• Could 9/11 have been prevented?
• How did this event change the counter-terrorism measures in the US?
• What were the psychological effects of 9/11 on the international community?
• Which strategy did the US choose in response to this attack?
• What were the political and military objectives of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan?
• Did the actions of the US and its allies lead to more terrorist acts?
• How did the post-9/11 laws and regulations affect the rights of US citizens
• The events of September 11 had a deep and lasting effect on the counter-terrorism measures in America, introducing several highly controversial laws such as the Patriot Act and the foundation of the Department of Homeland Security.
• The attack on the Twin Towers spelled a turning point in the 21st century with a fundamental shift in geopolitics and profound changes in national security policies.
• Security measures such as airport screenings and enhanced surveillance, led to heated debates between safety and civil liberties.
• The aftermath of the 9/11 event has entangled the US in several needless wars, leading to thousands of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, and partially leading to more distress in the Middle East.
• The psychological impact of 9/11 on survivors, first responders, and the general population raised the numbers of PTSD patients and had many re-evaluate the power of mental health help in the aftermath of traumatic events.
• The Day That Changed America: 9/11/2001.
• Media and 9/11: Shaping the Public Perception Of The Attack.
• How 9/11’s Coverage Paved The Way To The Iraq War.
• 9/11: A Look Back 23 Years Later.
• Shock and Terror: How The Press Covered The Aftermath of 9/11.
• The TV Media Coverage of The Twin Tower Attack.
• Televising Terror: Broadcasting 9/11 On Live TV.
• How Media Covers Terror Attacks In A Post-9/11 World.
• 9/11 In the Global News: From North America to Asia.
• The Media’s Role In Shaping Public Memory About 9/11.
• The legacy of the Patriot Act: An additional safety net or an assault on human rights?
• How effective is the Department of Homeland Security in terrorist act prevention?
• Did the foundation of the TSA create more problems or fix them?
• Is the government right to surveil its citizens for security measures?
• The War on Terror: A win or a terrible disappointment?
• Evaluating the efficiency of the domestic surveillance programs in a post-9/11 world.
• American preparedness levels in case of a new attack of this scale.
• How 9/11 brought the international community together.
• Did post-9/11 wars cause more Islamic radicalization instead of decreasing it?
• The Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts: Justified or misguided?
• “13 Days”, “The Hunt for Red October”, and “Fahrenheit 9-11”: Analysis The political team with President Kennedy in the forefront composes a plan to solve the problem without violent involvement since the U.S.military attacks could cause military strikes on the part of the Soviet Union despite […]
• Rudy Giuliani’s Leadership During 9/11 Crisis He was able to recognize the urgency of addressing the crisis to salvage the city. Giuliani was able to raise the bar in order to confront new Yorkers to respond to the crisis.
• Rebuttal Assignment: The Untold Facts and Stories of 9-11 The investigations that were published by the National Institute of standards and Technology dismissed these allegations and the community engineers supported the move by stating that the building was brought down by the impact of […]
• Islamophobia: Bias to Muslims and War After the 9-11 Incident In view of the 9/11 incident it became a scope of the authorities and the media to defend the position of government in the context of security as it was formulated that a constant threat […]
• Israel-Palestine after 9/11: Relations and Policies Of concern is that the discussion comes out with facts that Israel has developed policies that favor them with the backing of the US.
• The Tragic Effects of 9/11 The attacks on the world trade center and pentagon on September 11 2001 were tragic and devastating not only for the victims and the people of the United States of America; they came as a […]
• Post-9/11 Era and the Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans According to Flanagin’s account of the relationships between Muslim Americans and the rest of the U.S.population, the victimization of Muslim Americans is comparable to that one of German Americans after WWI, although it may not […]
• September 11 Attacks in the US News Media The nature of US news media coverage of the political responsibility for the September 11, 2001 terror attack is the point of concern that is highlighted in both articles.
• US History Since 1877: “9/11 – Loose Change” The main argument of the documentary 9/11 – Loose Change is that the US secret services stood behind the perpetration of the worst terrorist act in the history of America the attacks of 9/11.
• Richard Drew’s Photography: Visualizing September 11 This would have ensured that I had accommodated the rights of media, clients, society, and other stakeholders while still adhering to media ethics.
• Homeland Security Regarding the 9/11 Report The intelligent agencies struggled throughout the years prior to 9/11 on the collection of intelligence data and the analysis of the transformations of transnational terrorist activities.
• September 11 Attacks as a Political Impression As a matter of fact, the aftermath of these attacks led to various political motivations that enabled me to know more about the political side of terrorism.
• Bill Clinton’s Impeachment From Post-9/11 Perspective Impeachment is the act of removing a public official from a public office due to misconduct in the office. His actions in the Watergate scandal clearly depicted the kind of person he was, something that […]
• September 11 and Pearl Harbour: A Comparison by William Dudley According to Dudley, both of these attacks led to the loss of the lives of many Americans. This is due to the nature of subjectivity that the writer has developed in his theme of discussion.
• The 9/11 Tragedy: One of the Deadliest Disasters in the US History For instance, the government presented the right equipment and evacuation strategies to respond to the tragic event. The leaders and human service professionals provided the right resources, materials, and counseling in order to deal with […]
• Global Universities’ Reforms After the 9/11 Attack The members of the team use the above competencies to support different students whenever there is an attack. An agreement is also “established in order to outline the commitment and participation of different response organizations”.
• Pearl Harbor and 9/11: Intelligence Failure Based on the findings of the bodies and the ongoing discussion among Americans concerning the similarities, the ensuing discourse compares the events of 7 December and 11 September.
• Terrorism: Post-9/11 Maritime Security Initiatives in the USA The degree of fatality and devastation prompted the industry players and the state to look for new strategies of moderating the inherent risks in the whole maritime transport system.
• The Concept of the Homeland Security After the September 11 Incident The experts repeatedly identified the lack of cooperation and poor coordination as the eminent concern amongst the several bodies linked to the Homeland Security.
• The controversy behind the 9/11 tragedy In fact, sources reveal that most people believe the contrary that is the allegation that the US government initiated the attacks as a strategy of gaining control of oil in the Middle East.
• The Biggest News; The 9/11 Attack Exposing the Plight The American media placed more emphasis on the emergency response and the plight of the people who were exposed to the tragedy; this was aimed at exposing to the world that America […]
• “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11” by Lawrence Wright The second part of the book looks at the Al Qaeda’s activities in the rest of the world. The book covers some of the problems faced in the fight against terrorism, especially the lack of […]
• Terrorism Before and After the September 11 Attacks In light of the change in our perception of terrorisms as a result of the events of September 11 and the raising impact of religious fanatics who are quoted many a times declaring death and […]
• “9/11 and New York City Firefighters” Post Hoc Unit Support and Control Climates The independent variables of intensity of critical incident involvement were based on a measurement scale of 0 or 1 for affirmative to the 15 modes of involvement while for the four involving self injury a […]
• Post September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks Despite the fact that there were several Muslims in America who were victims of the attacks, Muslims in America are still being discriminated as a result of that incidence.
• The History of the 9/11 Decade The U.S.economy, the military needs and strategies of the country, the oil crisis and the U.S.relations with other countries, China and the countries of the Middle East in particular, are the main themes which need […]
• U.S. Government Response to the 9/11 Attacks There was a powerful set of shared assumptions we had in the wake of 9/11, and one of the most powerful was the assumption that we would never be forgiven if we failed to do […]
• The Impact of 9/11 on Global Logistics Following the adverse effects of the September eleventh terrorist attack in the US, the security of citizens and businesses has become the main concern in both the public and the private sectors of the economy.
• Effects of the September 11th attack on the geopolitics of the US The budge in geopolitical relations that is mounting as the U.S.acts in response to the attacks on its people is already pressurizing oil trades and supplies relationships and also changing ways can be anticipated in […]
• Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright: The Failure to Prevent 9/11 Lawrence Wright’s book The Looming Tower Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 is aimed at examining at the origins of Al-Qaeda, the development of this terrorist organization, and the main events that preceded the September […]
• U.S. Border Security: 9/11 Aftermath In the immediate consequence of the 9/11 attacks, the US congress ruled to add the security agents deployed along the US-Canada border, and the US sent its National Guard troops to inspect, secure and patrol […]
• Domestic Terrorism in the Post 9/11 Era However, according to the FBI news, no act of terrorism can be compared to the terrorism attacks of 9/11, which cost thousands of lives and a negative impact on the United States economy.
• Benefits of Post 9/11 Security Measures Fails to Outway Harm on Personal Freedom and Privacy War on terror and the countermeasures on terror threats such as security appraisals have pushed citizens to a point of critically analyzing the benefits and outweighing them against the compromised privacy and personal freedom.
• Law Enforcement after 9/11 The response of the US government in the wake of September 11 was important and has proved to be effective in averting terror acts.
• Consequence Management After the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks On November 25, 2002, the United States Department of Homeland Security was formed with the aim of guarding the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and take appropriate action in case there is […]
• Tourism, Travel and 9/11 Despite the fact that the U.S.economy was slowing in the months prior to this incident, the consequences of the terrorist act tipped the economy further into depression.
• September 11: Terror Attack and Huge Casualties As the police and the emergency staff trying to help those at the World Trade Center, the South tower, collapsed and tumbled down killing hundreds of the police and emergency personnel.
• Why Is 9/11 an Important Day to Remember?
• How Did Travel and Airport Security Change After 9/11?
• What Effect Did 9/11 Have on the Economy?
• How Did the World React to 9/11?
• What Are the Conspiracy Theories Around 9/11?
• How to Control Irrational Fears After 9/11?
• How Many Died on September 11th?
• What Was the Intention Behind the 9/11 Attacks?
• What Reorganization of the Government Took Place After 9/11?
• Who Survived 9/11 From the Highest Floor?
• What Islamic Reform Took Place After 9/11?
• How Many Firefighters Died on 9/11?
• How Many People Lost Their Jobs on 9/11?
• Who Was the Last Person Found on 9/11?
• Have There Been Any Personal Changes With You Since 9/11?
• What Is the Impact of President Bush´s Speech After 9/11?
• How Much Money Did 9/11 Survivors Receive?
• Are There Still People Missing From 9/11?
• How Did the Criminal Justice System Change After 9/11?
• How the Day of 9/11 Changed America Forever?
• What Are the Political, Social, and Economic Changes Following 9/11?
• What Are the Consequences of the Tragedy of 9/11?
• Was the U.S. Government Involved With 9/11?
• Why Was America Targeted on 9/11?
• Why Discrimination Against Arab-Americans Happened After 9/11?
• What Is the Essence of the 4th Amendment After 9/11?
• What Was the Reason Given for 9/11?
• Who Was in Charge of 9/11?
• How Long Did It Take To Find Out Who Was Responsible for 9/11?
• What Did the 9/11 Commission Find?
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International Center for 9/11 Justice

The Journal of 9/11 Studies

The  Journal of 9/11 Studies  is the flagship publication of the International Center for 9/11 Justice. Since 2006, the journal has published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers, many of which have become foundational works in the 9/11 literature.

Today, its mission is to offer new evidence-based findings and perspectives regarding the events of September 11, 2001; to examine the wider societal consequences of 9/11; and to develop knowledge regarding similar or related “deep events” and State Crimes Against Democracy. (For guidance on the scope of the journal, please read IC911’s Research Agenda and the review article “ Researching 9/11 and Beyond .”)

The journal recognizes the importance of both multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity when researching the 9/11 crimes and is committed to advancing empirically and theoretically rigorous work. All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review.

The journal’s papers can also be found on the journal’s original website, Journalof911Studies.com . Our ISSN is: 2997-447X.

• Submit to the Journal

Recommended Articles

A plausibility probe of 9/11 and covid-19 as ‘structural deep events’.

Piers Robinson and Kevin Ryan | September 2024

Researching 9/11 and Beyond: Current Knowledge and Future Directions 

Piers Robinson | August 2024

A Preliminary Study of Flashes of Light Recorded During the Collapse of the South Tower

Søren Roest Korsgaard | May 2024

Discussion of “Spontaneous Collapse Mechanism of World Trade Center Twin Towers and Progressive Collapse in General” by Jia-Liang Le and Zdeněk P. Bažant

Jonathan H. Cole, P.E., M.ASCE | July 2023

The Instantaneous Free Fall of World Trade Center Building 7 and NIST’s Attempt to Hide It

David Chandler, Ted Walter, and Tony Szamboti | June 2023

Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Completely Collapse?

Steven E. Jones | September 2006

Extremely high temperatures during the World Trade Center destruction

Steven E. Jones, Jeffrey Farrer, Gregory S. Jenkins, Frank Legge, James Gourley, Kevin Ryan, Daniel Farnsworth, and Crockett Grabbe | December 2007

The Missing Jolt: A Simple Refutation of the NIST-Bažant Collapse Hypothesis

Graeme MacQueen and Tony Szamboti | April 2009

Destruction of the World Trade Center North Tower and Fundamental Physics

David Chandler | February 2010

High Velocity Bursts of Debris from Point-Like Sources in the WTC Towers

Kevin Ryan | June 2007

118 Witnesses: The Firefighters’ Testimony to Explosions in the Twin Towers

Graeme MacQueen | August 2006

Waiting for Seven: WTC 7 Collapse Warnings in the FDNY Oral Histories

Graeme MacQueen | January 2008

A Discussion of ‘Analysis of Structural Response of WTC 7 to Fire and Sequential Failures Leading to Collapse’

Ronald H. Brookman | October 2012

Plausibility of 9/11 Aircraft Attacks Generated by GPS-Guided Aircraft Autopilot Systems

Aidan Monaghan | October 2008

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Seven Reflections Worth Reading About 9/11

Tomorrow is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Not surprisingly, the last several weeks have seen the publication of a torrent of articles assessing the meaning and lessons of 9/11. It’s a topic that has been debated for twenty years and will continue to be debated for decades to come. The lessons that get drawn will inevitably change over time, just as we see 9/11 differently today than we did a decade ago. We inevitably see the past through the lens of the present.

With so much being written in so short a period of time, we can’t say that we have read everything that has been written, or claim to be able to say which essays will have the greatest or most lasting influence. What we offer below are simply seven articles that tackle critical questions and might give you reason to pause and think. You won’t see any articles written by our CFR colleagues. That’s because our rule for these posts is to avoid home-cooking. We no doubt have missed some terrific writing that would have made generating a list of seven articles even harder. To everyone who feels overlooked, we apologize.

United States

Bryan Bender and Daniel Lippman , " They Created Our Post-9/11 World: Here’s What They Think They Got Wrong ,”  Politico Magazine . Did I get it right? It’s a question we can all usefully ask of ourselves, even if we may not like the answer. Bender and Lippman interviewed a range of former senior Bush administration officials, U.S. senators, ambassadors, generals, and admirals about the decisions they made or helped shape in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Many of them look back with regret at what they see as U.S. “overreach” but hold out hope that the country can right itself. “Nations are like people,” retired Admiral James Stavridis notes, “They get some things right, they get some things wrong. The measure of any nation is whether it learns both from the mistakes and the successes.”

The Water's Edge

James m. lindsay  analyzes the politics shaping u.s. foreign policy and the sustainability of american power.  2-4 times weekly., daily news brief, a summary of global news developments with cfr analysis delivered to your inbox each morning.  weekdays., the world this week, a weekly digest of the latest from cfr on the biggest foreign policy stories of the week, featuring briefs, opinions, and explainers. every friday., think global health.

A curation of original analyses, data visualizations, and commentaries, examining the debates and efforts to improve health worldwide.  Weekly.

Garrett Graff ,   " After 9/11, the U.S. Got Almost Everything Wrong ,"  The Atlantic . By one important measure the U.S. war on terrorism succeeded: neither al-Qaeda nor any other foreign terrorist organization has successfully launched an attack remotely approaching what happened on 9/11. Beyond that, Osama bin Laden and many of his close advisers have been captured or killed.   Garrett Graff argues that despite these successes, the U.S. response to 9/11 did more harm than good. “By almost any other measure, the War on Terror has weakened the nation,” he writes, “leaving Americans more afraid, less free, more morally compromised, and more alone in the world."

Hannah Hartig and Carroll Doherty , “ Two Decades Later, the Enduring Legacy of 9/11 ,” Pew Research Center. What do Americans think about 9/11 twenty years on? Hartig and Doherty sort through data the Pew Research Center has compiled on public attitudes toward the deadliest day in U.S. history. They conclude that surveys show “how a badly shaken nation came together, briefly, in a spirit of sadness and patriotism; how the public initially rallied behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though support waned over time; and how Americans viewed the threat of terrorism at home and the steps the government took to combat it.”

Nelly Lahoud , “ Bin Laden’s Catastrophic Success ,”  Foreign Affairs . Did bin Laden succeed? Nelly Lahoud thinks not. While the 9/11 attacks inflicted a grievous wound on the United States, they did not produce the outcome he sought. Bin Laden thought the attacks would compel a fearful United States to withdraw its military forces from Muslim-majority countries, leaving al-Qaeda free to recreate an exclusive community of Muslims. What he got instead was a United States that stood up rather than backed down in response to his plot, intervening even more deeply in the Middle East. “Bin Laden did change the world,” she concludes, “just not in the ways that he wanted.”

Carlos Lozada , “ 9/11 Was a Test. The Books of the Last Two Decades Show How America Failed. ”  Washington Post . If you read our post on  Seven More Books to Read About 9/11 , you know that a vast literature now exists on 9/11, examining that day and its consequences from an array of angles. Carlos Lozada, the  Washington Post ’s terrific book critic, decided to read more than his fair share of them. The effort convinced him that “Bin Laden did not win the war of ideas. But neither did we. To an unnerving degree, the United States moved toward the enemy’s fantasies of what it might become—a nation divided in its sense of itself, exposed in its moral and political compromises, conflicted over wars it did not want but would not end….. al-Qaeda could not dim the promise of America. Only we could do that to ourselves.”  

George Packer , “ 9/11 Was a Warning of What Was to Come ,”  The Atlantic.  It may be difficult from the vantage point of 2021 to remember what the world looked like in early September 2001. The United States had won the Cold War. It was the world’s dominant power by far, perhaps the most powerful ever known. The laws of history had seemingly been suspended. The future promised continued success, wealth, and safety for decades to come. Looking back at those heady times, Packer concludes that 9/11 pricked the illusion that somehow Americans stood outside of time. “September 11 wasn’t a sui generis event coming out of a clear blue sky,” he writes. “It was the first warning that the 21st century would not bring boundless peace and prosperity.”

Stephen M. Walt . “ How 9/11 Will Be Remembered a Century Later ,”  Foreign Policy.  We noted above that our collective lessons of 9/11 are likely to change over time as the progress of events gives us new vantage points from which to see the past. Harvard Kennedy School of Government Professor Stephen Walt wondered what people might make of 9/11 on its centennial. He sees three possible scenarios: people might see it as a turning point, an isolated tragedy, or as irrelevant. Which of those scenarios carries the day, he writes, is not pre-ordained but rather depends on “what the United States and others do from this day forward.”

On Monday we will share additional resources on 9/11 that friends and readers politely (for the most part) noted that we missed.

Here are the other entries in this series:

• More Resources Worth Exploring About 9/11

Seven Documentaries Worth Watching About 9/11

• Seven Movies Worth Watching About 9/11
• 9/11 Online Exhibits and Resources Worth Viewing
• Seven Resources Debunking 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
• Seven Podcasts Worth Listening to About 9/11
• Seven More Books Worth Reading About 9/11 and Its Aftermath

Explore More

The president’s inbox recap: the future of u.s. foreign policy.

Backgrounder

Foreign Policy at the U.S. National Political Conventions

Shock, insecurity and endless war: How 9/11 changed America and the world

Terror attacks damaged our psyches, and the response undermined U.S. moral authority, Berkeley scholars say

By Edward Lempinen

September 9, 2021

Choking on fumes and covered in dust, a woman and a man make their way to safety after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. (Wikipedia photo by Don Halasy)

For tens of millions of Americans alive on Sept. 11, 2001, the images are indelible: Flames exploding from a tower of the World Trade Center against a brilliant blue sky. A tsunami of smoke and debris roiling through the canyons of Lower Manhattan. Office workers — those who managed to escape — covered in grey dust.

In the shock that followed those terror attacks, it was common to imagine that the world had changed forever. Just how, exactly, no one could know. Twenty years later, after so many other turns of history, the ragged withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is a reminder of how the nation has struggled to answer the attacks.

Janet Napolitano (UC Berkeley photo)

“One of the most lasting impacts has been the damage to the American psyche,” said Janet Napolitano, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former president of the University of California. “Even after Pearl Harbor, there was a presumption that we were somehow immune from attack, that our airliners would not be weaponized and flown into iconic buildings. That sort of presumption was effectively destroyed by 9/11 — and it hasn’t come back.”

Even as Americans grappled with trauma and anger at home, the attacks cleared the way for a foreign policy based on the belief that the United States can “transform foreign societies in its own self-image,” said UC Berkeley historian Daniel Sargent. This was “hubris,” Sargent said, with the “consequence of exploding the credibility of America as a superpower.”

Daniel Sargent (Photo courtesy of UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy)

To be sure, the American reaction to Sept. 11 achieved a critical aim: After a massive mobilization of resources, intelligence and military power, the U.S. has prevented any other large-scale attack on domestic targets. Osama bin Laden, the 9/11 mastermind, was found and killed. The war in Iraq, though ill-conceived and fatally mismanaged, removed Saddam Hussein, a vicious tyrant, from power. A generation of women and girls in Afghanistan found that with the Taliban banished, there was space for education, for work and for pursuing dreams.

In a series of interviews, Berkeley scholars said the shock and the national response set off a cascade of repercussions — misguided and expensive wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a rise in anti-Muslim hate, and an obsessive focus on security and safety that has sometimes undermined freedom and human rights.

Asked to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, they pointed to four broad, specific examples of how 9/11 continues to shape America and the world, plus a fifth that may — or may not — come to pass.

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C., deeply shocked and angered America — and led political leaders to overreact in response, Berkeley scholars say. (Flickr photo by Robert J. Fisch)

1. Policymakers implemented aggressive plans to combat global terrorism — and to prevent “contamination” of the homeland.

Marika Landau-Wells (Photo by Aidan Milliff)

In a period of major conflict, two primal fears can become pronounced, said Marika Landau-Wells, a UC Berkeley political scientist who studies how political leaders and the public perceive threats. One is fear of death. The other is fear of contamination. These fears colored the U.S. response to communism in the 1950s and to COVID-19 and illegal immigration today.

In the psychological environment that rose from the shock of 9/11, the Bush administration had support to make a dramatic response.

“They didn’t want more people to die on their watch,” said Landau-Wells. “But there was also a sense that…this ideology of international terrorism had some contaminant properties to it. It’s a little bit like communism in that respect.”

With unprecedented speed, the Bush administration transformed the national security system. Airline security was tightened and intensified. The Department of Homeland Security was created a little more than a year after the attacks, and today is the third-largest federal agency.

At the same time, U.S. foreign policy was “remilitarized,” said Berkeley political scientist George Breslauer, a scholar in U.S. foreign affairs. “After 9/11, with the neoconservatives in power, you get this notion: ‘We are the most powerful country in the world, and it’s about time to show our adversaries what that means.’”

U.S. military personnel carry the remains of fellow service members killed in the Aug. 26 Kabul airport attack, just days before the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Mark Andries)

2. Political leaders bet that terrorism could be defeated by conventional military action. This was a grave miscalculation.

Hatem Bazian

Several Berkeley scholars shared a common view: The U.S. could have responded to 9/11 as if it were a crime — using law enforcement, diplomacy and intelligence along with limited military resources to hunt down Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida leaders and others linked to the attacks.

“If you want to pursue the terrorists, there are different approaches and strategies to undertake this in a legal, legitimate way rather than unleash an invasion that is going to be disastrous,” said Hatem Bazian, founder of the UC Berkeley Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project.

George Breslauer (UC Berkeley photo)

Added Breslauer: “Trying to fight wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while simultaneously conducting a global police action against terror — it only brought us misery and pain.”

The death toll: Some 15,000 U.S. soldiers and military contractors died, along with some 15,000 allied military personnel. Among Afghans and Iraqis, deaths mounted into the hundreds of thousands.

The financial cost: By one estimate, the U.S. has spent more than $8 trillion — much of it borrowed — in wars launched after 9/11.

In Vietnam, the U.S. learned through failure that “conventional military deterrence…doesn’t work against insurgencies in guerilla war contexts,” Breslauer said. By repeating that approach against Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. “affirmed that it had unlearned the lessons of Vietnam — and that was triggered by 9/11.”

3. The attacks provoked a wave of anti-Muslim bias, harassment and violence. This demonization has become a persistent feature of our politics.

Incidents of torture by U.S. military and intelligence officials at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq deeply damaged the U.S. effort to promote democracy in the region, Berkeley scholars said. (Photo from U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command via Wikipedia)

In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks, society focused indiscriminate rage on Muslims, several scholars said.

“To tar a whole group of people with that brush is a big move, but I think 9/11 gave permission to think that way,” said Landau-Wells. “There was a tolerance for a kind of thinking that probably would have been frowned upon on Sept. 9th or 10th.”

Hate crimes against Muslims , or those mistaken for Muslims, soared. Law enforcement agencies detained thousands of men who were Middle Eastern and South Asian. Agents infiltrated Arab American communities. In Iraq and in the Guantanamo Bay detention center, the images of U.S. military personnel abusing and torturing Muslim men suggested that Muslims had been officially dehumanized.

While some Americans recoiled, others did not. In a climate of suspicion and fear, Berkeley scholars said, hostility for Muslims became a political wedge issue.

Critics attacked a rising 2008 presidential candidate by his full name: Barack Hussein Obama. After Obama’s victory, future presidential candidate Donald Trump led a sustained conspiracy movement claiming that the victor wasn’t American, and was therefore not a legitimate president.

Lawrence Rosenthal

Later, as the Republican nominee, Trump would promote the lie that thousands of Muslims on 9/11 cheered the fall of the twin towers at the World Trade Center. And as president, he largely suspended tourism, business and academic visits from Muslim countries.

“Islamic terrorism, quote unquote, replaced communism as the great foreign enemy,” observed Lawrence Rosenthal, chair of the UC Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies . “And those who were not hostile to the domestic Muslim population — they could be characterized as enemies on the home front.”

4. Through strategic failures and compromised values, the United States suffered deep, long-term damage to its political and moral authority.

The stated goals in both Afghanistan and Iraq seemed straightforward: topple authoritarian governments seen as hostile and replace them with functional democratic states, and thereby make the region less hospitable to terrorists. But Iraq wasn’t even linked to terrorism. And the use of detention without trial, kidnapping and torture undermined U.S. claims to democratic virtue.

“The use of what was euphemistically called ‘ enhanced interrogations ,’ which most people would call torture, was really contrary to our values — and it was not effective,” said Napolitano, now director of the Center for Security in Politics at Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. “Those kinds of decisions not only change our self-perception, but change the perception of the United States in the world.”

The invasion of Iraq “completely torpedoed and collapsed U.S. standing” in the Muslim countries and much of the world, said Bazian. “U.S. power has diminished tremendously in the most important powers — the power of persuasion.

“Once the Abu Ghraib pictures came out, the Abu Ghraib torture, the United States’ claim that it represents the civilized world, the rule of law — at that point, the emperor had no clothes.”

5. Can the U.S. accept the humbling lessons of 9/11? Time will tell.

The world has transformed in the two decades since the terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The United States is no longer the world’s sole superpower; China is a rival, and Russia remains a global force. India and other nations once considered poor and powerless are building strength.

In the last days before U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan, a throng of Afghans hoping to escape waited for evacuation behind a cordon of U.S. Marines at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla)

The U.S. remains the world’s most powerful country, Breslauer said, but it cannot impose its will on the world. It must define its vital interests realistically, and then work with other powers to address global issues through diplomacy and cooperation.

“We have to search for a way to get the United States, Europe, Russia and China to collaborate on issues that all of them define as major threats,” he proposed. “Those issues can be global terror, or the avoidance of accidental nuclear launches. It can be pandemic control, or climate change. There are any number of issues on which those four entities — plus Japan and a few others — have a common stake in avoiding the worst outcomes.”

Bazian finds cause for optimism in the European fishing crews that have rescued refugees fleeing war and persecution, and in the church groups working to resettle refugees in the United States. But he sees that the U.S. military web still circles the globe, and he wonders whether the lesson has been learned.

In this new world, he and others suggested, hubris is no longer viable. Diplomacy, subtlety, cooperation — these are essential if the U.S. is to recover from the self-inflicted damage of 9/11.

“I think over time we can recover,” Napolitano said. “But we can only do it by action, by exhibiting to the world our values and how we practice them… You know, the world is a complex place, and we need to approach its complexity with a degree of humility.”

How 9/11 Changed the World

The World Trade Center buildings in New York City collapsed on September 11, 2001, after two airplanes slammed into the twin towers in a terrorist attack. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

BU faculty reflect on how that day’s events have reshaped our lives over the last 20 years

Bu today staff.

Saturday, September 11, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the largest terrorist attack in history. On that Tuesday morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four American commercial flights destined for the West Coast and intentionally crashed them. Two planes—American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175—departed from Boston and Flight 11 struck New York City’s World Trade Center North Tower at 8:46 am and Flight 175 the South Tower at 9:03 am, resulting in the collapse of both towers. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, leaving from Dulles International Airport in Virginia, crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am, and the final plane, United Airlines Flight 93, departing from Newark, N.J., crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa., at 10:03 am, after passengers stormed the cockpit and tried to subdue the hijackers.

In the space of less than 90 minutes on a late summer morning, the world changed. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day and the United States soon found itself mired in what would become the longest war in its history, a war that cost an estimated $8 trillion . The events of 9/11 not only reshaped the global response to terrorism, but raised new and troubling questions about security, privacy, and treatment of prisoners. It reshaped US immigration policies and led to a surge in discrimination, racial profiling, and hate crimes.

In observance of the anniversary, BU Today reached out to faculty across Boston University—experts in international relations, international security,  immigration law, global health, terrorism, and ethics—and asked each to address this question: “How has the world changed as a result of 9/11?”

Find a list of all those with ties to the BU community killed on 9/11 here.

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Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 46 comments on How 9/11 Changed the World

this is very scary to me.

Yes this is very scary

This was a very sad moment in time but we need to remember the people that sacrificed themselves to save us and the people that died during this event. It was sad but at least it brought us closer together. I wonder what the world would be like if 9/11 never happened?..

Yes that is a good thing to rember…

We will all remember 9/11, a very important moment in our life, and we honor the ones who sacrificed their lives to save others in there.

It changed the world forever, it is infact a painful memory to remember

I feel bad for all the families that had family and friends die.

i feel bad for all the people and their family and friends that died

9/11 is tragic and it will always be remembered though I have to say that saying 9/11 changed the word is quite an overstatement. More like how it changes America in certain ways and the ones responsible for it but saying something like what you said makes it sound like it was Armageddon or something.

Whether or not those of us in other countries like it, for the last several decades and certainly still in the current time, when something changes the USA in significant ways that impact policy, legislation, education, the economy, health care, etc. (not to mention the ways in which public opinion drives the American political machine), the US’s presence on the international stage means those changes ripple outward through their foreign policy, treatment of both residents/citizens of the USA and local people where the USA has a military, economic and/or other presence around the world.

The complex web of international agreements, alliances, organizational memberships, and financial interdependency means that events that happen locally often have both direct and indirect implications, short and long term, around the world, for individuals and for entire segments of society.

As for the direct results of 20 years of military response to 9/11 on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, it certainly changed their world.

The original BU 9/11 Memorial webpage is still up: https://www.bu.edu/remember/index.html

Reading through the remembrances from that day onward …

Omg scary .

I honor them all.

I wonder how much time people had to get out before the building collapsed

the south tower collapsed in 10 seconds.

Yes but it didnt colapse untill 56 minutes after it was hit

Shall all the people who risked their lives, never be forgotten.

am i blind or was there no mention of how it actually affected the world afterwards??

I know right?

My dad died in 9/11, He was a great pilot

Wow. I’m really sorry for your loss I hope you can still go far in life even without your dad. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and let them go.

i dont really think you understood that comment

i just read the story and im so sade for the dad that died . If i was there i wouls of creiyed and i saw someone in the chare that someone dad died and i felt so bad when i saw the comment but i dont know if that is real but if it is i feal bad for you if my dad died or my mom i woulld been so sade i would never get over it but this story changed my life when i read it.Also 1 thing i hoop not to any dads diead because i feel bad fo thos kids.

yo all the dads and moms died all of them will never get forgoten every single one of them

Never forget, always remember

everyone is talking about the twin towers but what about the pentagon.

I know, right?

it is super scary

Sorry for all the people who Lost their family

Thanks for helping me with this report, and yes so sorry for all yall who lost family

So, so sorry to all y’all who lost family

I am deeply sorry for anyone who lost family, friends, co workers, or anybody you once knew. This really was a tragedy to so many.

my dad almost died from the tower

very scary but needs too be remembered!

I have to say this is most definitely a U.S. American write up. Saying the word is an overstatement in many ways. It would be more better if you were to specifically point out you mean the US and those others involved with the attacks. Overall if we are going to be completely factual “people/individuals” are the ones who change things depending on whatever. The world changes every day since the start of time.

While I agree with your first point, I would say that the attacks did in fact change the world. At the very least, they changed the way airline security is done everywhere.

great article,

I believe that the people, who sacrificed their lives in flight 93, the one that crashed in Pennsylvania, resonated the most with me, as it could have gone anywhere, and they sacrificed themselves to save more. I am deeply sorry for all losses, but I hope we remember this crucial moment in history to learn from our mistakes in global affairs, but also honor those who sacrificed themselves in all the attacks.

This is an incident that must not be repeated.

Sorry for the lives lost. American should learn from this tragedy that however powerful you are peace is paramount.

saddest day ever

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For those who remember Sept. 11, 2001, details of the day – the confusion, chaos and collective grief – are as clear now as they were 20 years ago when the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history occurred.

But many college students today have no memories of 19 al-Qaida operatives hijacking four commercial airplanes and killing nearly 3,000 people in a terrorist attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Teaching this next generation about the passion and the intensity that defined that pivotal moment is difficult, says Condoleezza Rice , who was the U.S. National Security Advisor at the time of the attacks.

For the new generation of students, 9/11 is now a part of history. “It would be like people trying to convey the intensity of World War II to me,” said Rice, who went on to serve as the 66th secretary of state of the United States under President George W. Bush before returning to her professorship at Stanford in 2009.

Rice, now the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution, was in the White House on that Tuesday morning of Sept 11. When she discusses the attacks with her students, her experiences on that day inevitably come up.

She is candid in her recounting. “That helps to vivify it because it’s a personal story,” Rice said.

When President George W. Bush returned to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001, he met with Condoleezza Rice, who was then U.S. National Security Advisor, as well as from left: Vice President Dick Cheney, Chief of Staff Andy Card and Special Agent Carl Truscott of the U.S. Secret Service in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center of the White House. (Image credit: Eric Draper, Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library / Getty Images)

Condoleezza Rice, who served as President George W. Bush’s national security advisor before becoming the 66th Secretary of State of the United States, is pictured here taking notes from a phone call through a window in the Outer Oval Office on September 18, 2001. (Image credit: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images)

Rice shares how, when the first plane hit the North Tower at the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., she and others were uncertain about the cause of the crash. She remembers wondering whether it could have been an accident. But when the second hijacked plane hit the remaining South Tower 17 minutes later, Rice knew it had to be a terrorist attack on the United States.

Then there was the short period when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld could not be reached because the Pentagon was also hit that morning, Rice said. She, along with other senior government leaders, were ushered into the White House bunker. She tells students that around noon that day, oxygen levels started to drop because too many people were crammed into the fortified space. “So the Secret Service was going around saying, ‘You have to leave, you are not essential; you have to leave, you are not essential.’ You would never plan for such a thing as that,” she said.

Inevitably, a student will ask her if she was afraid. Rice was so taken aback the first time she faced that question that she actually paused to think about it – and then concluded that she wasn’t. “I didn’t have time to be scared,” Rice recalled. “You can fear for your loved ones, but you are not allowed to feel personal fear. You don’t think about that in the moment.”

“I try to help [students] understand how we are still living the effects of 9/11.” —Condoleezza Rice Director, Hoover Institution; Former U.S. National Security Advisor and 66th Secretary of State

Rice also emphasized the importance of talking to students about how 9/11 transformed the world and that what seems routine today – such as additional airport screenings and the formation of new government institutions – didn’t even exist before the attacks.

“I try to help them understand how we are still living the effects of 9/11,” said Rice. “It isn’t an event that happened one day and then was over, but everything from the way that you go through an airport to something called ‘homeland security,’ which you didn’t have before 9/11.”

Teaching 9/11 since 9/11

The attacks also introduced into the wider vernacular new places – like Afghanistan – and people – like Osama bin Laden – that students 20 years ago knew very little or nothing about.

Stanford scholars Amy Zegart and Martha Crenshaw experienced this firsthand on the day of the attacks when they found themselves in the surreal situation of teaching about 9/11 on 9/11. Both were so shocked by the unfolding events that they were unable to do anything except the one thing they were supposed to do that day, which was teach.

Martha Crenshaw, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, has written extensively on the issue of political terrorism; her first article, "The Concept of Revolutionary Terrorism," was published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution in 1972. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Zegart led a crisis simulation for POLI SCI 114S: International Security in a Changing World. (Image credit: Rod Searcey)

When they showed up to their respective classrooms – at the time, Crenshaw was at Wesleyan University teaching a course on decision making and foreign policy; Zegart at UCLA – they found them packed. There were more students in the lecture hall for Crenshaw’s course than were enrolled.

Students – horrified and trying to make sense of what was happening – sought clarity and comfort from their teachers, who just happened to be experts on the issues that would come to define the next two decades of U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

“A key part of understanding history is empathy, and thinking about what it was like to live through something rather than only looking at an event through the distance of time. 9/11 looks inevitable in hindsight, but it was unimaginable on September 10.” —Amy Zegart Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute and Hoover Institution

“When something that shocking happens, our natural inclination is to make sense of what’s going on together, right now,” said Zegart, who is a leading scholar on national security and the Central Intelligence Agency and is now a senior scholar at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Students wanted to know more about the terms and names they were hearing for the first time that day, like jihadism and the Taliban. Over the months that followed came more complex challenges to explain: the global war on terror, torture, rendition, Guantanamo Bay, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is the world that today’s students have inherited. Even the current generation’s media, as Zegart’s research has shown, has become increasingly saturated with a proliferation of “spytainment” : movies and TV shows depicting, often inaccurately, the clandestine world of intelligence and counterterrorism operations.

Like Rice, Crenshaw has also found herself having to explain that none of this was normal before 9/11.

“I have to go back and say, ‘All this wasn’t always here before 9/11.’ I have to trace the trajectory of policy changes,” said Crenshaw, a senior fellow at FSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

Shifts in emotion

In the first decade after the attacks, Zegart said her students were incredibly emotional about 9/11 and its aftermath, including the expansion of U.S. conflict abroad. A few years after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq broke out, Zegart remembers one of her students, a recently returned veteran, telling her that he was taking her intelligence class because he wanted to learn more about why he had gone to Iraq, and what his friend who had deployed with him had died fighting for.

In 2018, Stanford scholars Amy Zegart and Condoleezza Rice co-taught the course POLECON 584: Managing Global Political Risk. (Image credit: Rod Searcey)

“It was a really raw, personal experience for students studying foreign policy in the first decade after 9/11 because they were living with war and uncertainty,” said Zegart. She had to push them be more analytical and objective in their class discussions of what a post 9/11 world entailed.

As the years progressed, though, 9/11 increasingly became less personal for the next generation of students. Perceptions began to shift. So much so that Zegart now finds herself in the opposite predicament: How to insert those feelings back in .

“Because they didn’t live through it, they look at it distantly and dispassionately,” Zegart said. “The challenge is, how do you help students better understand the context in which decisions were made and the raw emotion that unavoidably affects how we perceive threats and how we deal with policy responses.”

Teaching the emotions of the day

To evoke a visceral response to 9/11, Zegart shows a 4-minute montage of news clips. Students get a sense of how the day unfolded, from the breaking reports of the first tower being struck to a reporter’s on-air reaction as the second plane crashes live into the remaining tower. There are also scenes of people fleeing lower Manhattan amid dust, smoke and debris.

“You just cannot convey that day in a normal lecture or a book,” Zegart said. The video is effective; her students are often left with a sense of the sadness, horror and anguish that defined 9/11.

Zegart then asks her students to imagine they are policymakers at the White House and have to decide what to do next. “We often teach U.S. foreign policymaking as a sterile, Spock-like process where people weigh the pros and cons of options and make dispassionate decisions,” Zegart said. “But human emotion and searing national experiences are important and hard to convey. A key part of understanding history is empathy, and thinking about what it was like to live through something rather than only looking at an event through the distance of time. 9/11 looks inevitable in hindsight, but it was unimaginable on September 10.”

Through the exercise, students get a sense of the urgency that policymakers, like Rice, have to grapple with while making decisions amid a national emergency.

“In retrospect, everything looks quite orderly,” said Rice, who co-taught a class on global risk with Zegart at the Graduate School Business. “It looks like ‘of course that decision led to that decision.’ Political scientists are always talking about the options that were put before the president. That’s not how crisis decision making unfolds. You are dealing with really incomplete information, you are dealing with the need to act now, and you are often reacting from instinct because you don’t have time to think through things.”

Viewing the attacks from all sides

When political scientist Lisa Blaydes teaches 9/11 to her students, she tries to give an international perspective of the issues, particularly on how grievances can arise – both legitimately or falsely constructed – in countries abroad and how that can lead to extremism and political violence. For example, in her course Political Science 149: Middle Eastern Politics , several classes are dedicated to examining anti-American attitudes in the Islamic world and the conditions under which individuals become radicalized.

“I try to make sure that students understand both the individual motivations associated with the radicalization of political thought as well as the global context that empowers radicalized individuals to undertake violent action,” said Blaydes, a professor of political science in the School of Humanities and Sciences and a senior fellow at FSI. She asks students to read Lawrence Wright’s book The Looming Tower , which picks up on themes Blaydes covers in the course, particularly those dealing with how authoritarian regimes in the Arab world provided a backdrop for the rise of al-Qaida.

Lisa Blaydes, a professor of political science and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, focuses on comparative politics and politics of the Middle East. (Image credit: Courtesy Lisa Blaydes)

In recent years, Blaydes has found her students showing an increased interest in learning more about radical groups like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and how they have terrorized communities across the Middle East. “While Sept. 11 made terrorism a salient threat for Americans living in U.S. cities, both terrorism and state-sponsored violence are unfortunately a trauma shared by people around the world,” she said.

Similarly, Crenshaw said, it is important to explain to students the conditions that lead to such extremist views. But, she added, explaining motives should not be mistaken as justifying them. “We are not trying to excuse it; we are trying to understand why something happened,” she said.

With her students, Crenshaw has also looked at how terrorism has been used across history. In the aftermath of 9/11, terrorism almost exclusively became associated with a particular ideology and religion. But there are other examples throughout history of how it has been used as a form of political violence, she said.

“As an instructor, one of my goals was always to show students that 9/11 was something extraordinary, but there are other instances of terrorism and it can be associated with any ideology,” Crenshaw said.

Given its elasticity, terrorism is a confusing and contentious term with no standard definition, Crenshaw said . Thus, as both the term and the acts associated with terrorism have evolved over the past two decades, so has her teaching of it. “The phenomenon that you are trying to teach is changing over time as well, so it’s really a very dynamic subject requiring constant adjustment to take into account the vast outpouring of writing on terrorism but changing terrorism and counterterrorism as well,” she said.

In addition to situating 9/11 against a global and historical backdrop, teaching the attacks also requires a critical look at the domestic challenges that led up to it, including the shortcomings in U.S. intelligence. Zegart assigns students an article she wrote about the failures within the U.S. intelligence communities to adapt to the threat of terrorism, as well as a critique against her piece. “There’s no one perfect view, and if students can realize that their professor is part of an argument and people can disagree, that’s really important,” she said.

Zegart and Crenshaw have also assigned students the 9/11 Commission Report , the official report of the events that led up to the attacks and detailed account of the circumstances surrounding it.

‘Still hard’

Even though 20 years have passed since 9/11, it does not mean that teaching about the attacks has gotten easier.

“I still have a hard time,” Zegart said. “For years, my screensaver was a picture of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. It was important to me not to forget. I’ve spent my career researching why our intelligence agencies failed to stop 9/11 and how they can better meet threats in the future. I think about that day every day.”

Media Contacts

Melissa De Witte, Stanford News Service:  [email protected]

Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Terrorism & Political Violence — 9/11

Essays on 9/11

9/11 essay topics for college students.

Choosing the right essay topic is crucial in showcasing your creativity and personal interests. This page is designed to help you explore various types of essays and topics related to the events of 9/11, ensuring your work is both engaging and academically rewarding.

When selecting a 9/11 essay topic, consider focusing on different perspectives such as the historical context, the political aftermath, the personal stories of survivors, or the impact on international relations. You might explore the changes in U.S. foreign policy post-9/11, the development of security measures, or the social and cultural ramifications of the attacks. Analyzing the long-term effects on global terrorism and examining how the event reshaped global alliances are also compelling avenues. By choosing a specific angle that resonates with you, your essay will not only be informative but also reflect your unique viewpoint on this pivotal moment in history.

Good Titles for 9/11 Essays

• The Day That Changed the World: An Analysis of 9/11
• From Ground Zero to Recovery: The Aftermath of 9/11
• Unseen Heroes: The First Responders of 9/11
• The Global Impact of 9/11: A New Era in International Relations
• Resilience and Rebirth: The Story of Ground Zero
• 9/11 and the Evolution of National Security
• Personal Stories of Survival and Loss: Remembering 9/11
• The Psychological Scars of 9/11: Healing and Recovery
• Media, Memory, and 9/11: How the Attacks Shaped Public Perception
• The Legacy of 9/11: Changes in U.S. Foreign Policy

By exploring a variety of topics related to 9/11, you can broaden your knowledge and hone your critical thinking skills.

9/11 Essay Topics to Write about

Argumentative essay topics for 9/11 essay.

• The impact of 9/11 on national security
• The role of conspiracy theories in shaping public opinion
• The ethical implications of the war on terror
• The effect of 9/11 on immigration policies
• Changes in airline security post-9/11
• How 9/11 influenced U.S. foreign policy
• The economic repercussions of 9/11 on global markets
• The psychological impact of 9/11 on American society
• The evolution of counter-terrorism strategies post-9/11
• The influence of 9/11 on international relations and global politics
• Introduction Paragraph Example: Analyze the effects of the 9/11 attacks on national security and consider the lasting implications for our nation. This essay will explore the complexities of balancing security measures with civil liberties, ultimately arguing for a more transparent and accountable approach to protecting our country.
• Conclusion Paragraph Example: In conclusion, the events of 9/11 have fundamentally altered our understanding of national security. By examining the ethical dilemmas and practical challenges that arise in the aftermath of such attacks, we can work towards a more secure and just society.

Descriptive Essay Topics for 9/11 Essay

• The emotional impact of 9/11 on American society
• The physical devastation of the World Trade Center towers
• The heroism of first responders on that fateful day
• The immediate aftermath of the attacks in New York City
• The global reaction to the 9/11 attacks
• The rebuilding of Ground Zero
• The stories of survivors and their experiences
• The changes in New York City's skyline post-9/11
• The role of memorials and commemorations in preserving the memory of 9/11
• The atmosphere and tension in the U.S. in the days following 9/11
• Introduction Paragraph Example: Explore the emotional aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on American society, delving into the personal stories of those affected by this tragedy. By examining the human experience of loss, resilience, and hope, this essay will paint a vivid picture of the lasting impact of 9/11.
• Conclusion Paragraph Example: Through the lens of personal narratives and historical accounts, we can better understand the profound impact of 9/11 on individuals and communities. By honoring the memories of those lost and celebrating the resilience of survivors, we can ensure that the legacy of 9/11 endures.

Expository Essay Topics for 9/11 Essay

• How 9/11 changed international relations
• The history and significance of the 9/11 Memorial
• The role of media coverage during and after 9/11
• The economic impact of the 9/11 attacks
• The psychological effects of 9/11 on survivors
• The legislative changes following 9/11, such as the Patriot Act
• The influence of 9/11 on airport security measures worldwide
• The response of emergency services during the 9/11 attacks
• The impact of 9/11 on U.S. military strategy and operations
• The role of intelligence agencies before and after 9/11
• Introduction Paragraph Example: Examine how 9/11 changed international relations, focusing on the shift in global alliances and the rise of new security protocols. This essay will provide a comprehensive overview of the political, economic, and social changes initiated by the attacks, highlighting their lasting influence on global dynamics.
• Conclusion Paragraph Example: In summary, 9/11 has left an indelible mark on international relations, prompting a reevaluation of global security strategies and diplomatic approaches. By understanding these changes, we can appreciate the interconnectedness of our world and the importance of cooperation in addressing global threats.

Narrative Essay Topics for 9/11 Essay

• A personal account of witnessing the 9/11 attacks
• The story of a survivor’s journey to recovery
• The experience of a first responder on 9/11
• Recollections of the immediate days following 9/11
• How 9/11 influenced a career choice in public service or the military
• The impact of 9/11 on a specific community
• A family’s experience of losing a loved one in the attacks
• The perspective of a child growing up in the post-9/11 era
• The journey of a volunteer who helped in the aftermath of the attacks
• The story of a foreigner’s view of 9/11 and its global implications
• Introduction Paragraph Example: Share a personal account of witnessing the 9/11 attacks, capturing the raw emotions and immediate reactions to the tragedy. This essay will weave together personal memories with historical context, offering a poignant and intimate perspective on one of the most defining moments in recent history.
• Conclusion Paragraph Example: By narrating personal experiences of 9/11, we can preserve the emotional and historical significance of that day. These stories serve as powerful reminders of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring importance of unity in the face of adversity.

As you explore these essay topics, remember to engage your readers with compelling arguments, vivid descriptions, and thought-provoking insights. Use your unique perspective and voice to make your essay stand out and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

9/11 Thesis Statement Ideas

Here are some thesis statement ideas for essays about the events of 9/11:

• The 9/11 attacks fundamentally altered U.S. foreign policy, leading to the War on Terror and significant shifts in international relations.
• The impact of 9/11 on civil liberties in the United States demonstrates the tension between national security and individual freedoms.
• The psychological effects of the 9/11 attacks on survivors and first responders highlight the need for comprehensive mental health support systems.
• Examining the changes in airport security post-9/11 reveals how the attacks reshaped global travel regulations and practices.
• The media's portrayal of 9/11 influenced public perception and policy decisions, showcasing the power of media in times of crisis.
• The socio-economic repercussions of 9/11 on New York City underscore the resilience and recovery efforts of affected communities.
• The role of intelligence failures leading up to 9/11 highlights the necessity for improved interagency communication and data sharing.
• The global rise of Islamophobia post-9/11 reflects the broader implications of terrorism on societal attitudes and policies.
• The influence of 9/11 on American cultural and artistic expressions underscores the event's profound impact on national identity and memory.
• The legislative aftermath of 9/11, including the Patriot Act, illustrates the balance between enhancing security and protecting constitutional rights.

The Effects of 9/11 Attack on America

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How 9/11 Changed People’s Lives in The USA

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President George W. Bush's Speech after The 9/11 Attacks: a Critique

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The Events that LED to The 9/11 Crisis in The United States

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September 11, 2001: Lower Manhattan (New York), Arlington County (Virginia), Stonycreek Township (Pennsylvania)

Deaths: 2,977 + 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists. Injured: 6,000–25,000+

On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in its history. Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the fourth into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened. The attacks resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, significant destruction, and long-lasting psychological and economic impacts. In response, the U.S. launched the War on Terror, leading to military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and implemented sweeping changes in national security policies and practices.

The 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by the extremist group al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, in response to perceived injustices faced by Muslims, including U.S. military presence in the Middle East. The terrorists exploited vulnerabilities in aviation security to target symbolic landmarks in the U.S., resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths. Factors such as ideological radicalization, recruitment efforts, and meticulous planning, along with geopolitical conflicts and intelligence failures, set the stage for this tragic event.

The 9/11 attacks had profound effects, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and significant destruction, including the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Socio-political impacts included heightened fear, stricter security measures, and increased surveillance. The attacks also influenced U.S. foreign policy, leading to military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Economically, the destruction affected global markets and caused job losses. Psychologically, the attacks left lasting trauma and grief among survivors, victims' families, and affected communities.

• The Twin Towers collapsed shortly after being hit: the South Tower (WTC 2) fell 56 minutes after impact, and the North Tower (WTC 1) fell 102 minutes after. These failures demonstrated the attacks' devastating impact.
• The 9/11 attacks resulted in 2,977 deaths from over 90 countries, including office workers, first responders, tourists, airline passengers, and business attendees.
• The attacks caused an estimated $123 billion loss in economic output within weeks, significantly disrupting tourism, aviation, and finance, affecting employment and global markets.

The topic of 9/11 is crucial as it profoundly impacted global politics, security, and society. Understanding the events and their consequences through various 9/11 essay topics helps us analyze the shifts in foreign policy, the rise of anti-terrorism measures, and the long-term psychological and economic effects. This analysis is essential for preventing future attacks and fostering a more secure and informed world.

1. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (2004). The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. W. W. Norton & Company. 2. Summers, A., & Swan, R. (2011). The Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden. Ballantine Books. 3. Jenkins, B. M. (2006). The 9/11 Wars. Hill and Wang. 4. Smith, M. L. (2011). Why War? The Cultural Logic of Iraq, the Gulf War, and Suez. University of Chicago Press. 5. Bowden, M. (2006). Guests of the Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam. Grove Press. 6. Wright, L. (2006). The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Vintage. 7. Bamford, J. (2008). The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America. Anchor Books. 8. Thompson, W., & Thompson, S. (2011). The Disappearance of the Social in American Social Psychology. Cambridge University Press. 9. Boyle, M. (2007). Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us. Potomac Books. 10. Zelikow, P., & Shenon, P. (2021). The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions. Interlink Publishing Group.

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20 Years Later: Experts Share Their Thoughts on How 9/11 Transformed Their Field, Their Research, and the World

Experts across the University of Pennsylvania share their thoughts on how 9/11 transformed their field, their research, and the world.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Coming on the heels of the exit of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, America’s longest war and a response to the attacks, the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of 9/11.

Penn Today asked experts across the University to share their thoughts on how 9/11 transformed their field or their research, the world, or their lives.

Leah Blain , clinical psychologist and director for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Penn, where she oversees all clinical, administrative, and outreach operations

September 11 had a huge impact on the field of trauma recovery. Not only was 9/11 an unprecedented stressor unto itself, but the wars that followed had a massive impact in terms of helping us understand what happens when people experience immense amounts of stress, both from the stressors they experience and from being removed from supports like family. The silver lining is that with every stressor we study, we learn more about recovery.

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are benefiting from all that we learned from our Vietnam veterans and trauma survivors before them. The knowledge we’ve accumulated as a field means we now have evidence-based practices to offer people who are suffering from things like PTSD , depression, and moral injury from their service.

The clients we serve have often been on multiple deployments. Over the last 20 years, service members who originally signed up to be in the Reserves or National Guard have deployed at rates comparable to active-duty personnel. That’s very different from prior conflicts. And, approximately two million children in our country have had at least one parent serve since September 11, 2001, so that’s having a really important impact on our families. A common stressor for military families is inadequate access to behavioral health supports and services for family members during and after deployments. A big piece of our mission at the Cohen Clinic is being able to serve family members as well as veterans.

Post-9/11, we’ve learned lessons of what recovery can look like and now have the ability to apply those lessons in real time to support people who are facing deployments, currently serving, or are transitioning from the military to civilian life. We have learned so much about resilience and recovery. We can make an impact now. To me, that’s such an inspiring mission: to be able to give back to those who have been willing to sacrifice so much for all of us.

In light of what’s happening now in Afghanistan, I’m hearing people talk about it as if it’s an endpoint. But in our field, we know that this is going to have ripple effects for years to come. And we are ready, better armed to help our veterans and military family members recover and thrive.

Cynthia Otto , professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine; director, Penn Vet Working Dog Center

Prior to September 11, 2001, my work with search and rescue dogs was an interesting hobby that utilized my veterinary emergency medicine training in a different environment and sparked interesting, but somewhat limited research questions. On September 11, when the planes hit the towers, the world reeled. I got the call to pack my bags and report to the Philadelphia Fire Academy as part of the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1, and my world shifted.

The 10 days spent caring for the dogs at Ground Zero reframed my career, starting with the launch of the American Kennel Club-Canine Health Foundation funded 15-year study of the health and behavioral effects of the response on search and rescue dogs. During that time, I began working with all types of working dogs. My research focus pivoted from the laboratory to the Labrador (and other working breeds). The unanswered questions and the opportunities to apply science and veterinary expertise to the health and performance of working dogs became my ultimate driving force.

After 10 years of planning, seeking funding and space, on September 11, 2012, we opened the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) as a research, education, and training resource for working dogs, focused on search and rescue and other types of scent detection dogs. At the time, the term “working dog” was relatively unfamiliar to the general public and the field of canine sports medicine was just finding its foot (paw) hold. True to the goal of being the legacy of 9/11, the PVWDC has been instrumental in transforming the science, care, training, and visibility of detection dogs. Bearing witness to the horror and humanity of that day, to the undeniable bond between human and animal, served as the catalyst for an extraordinary and fulfilling new period of my career; from veterinary emergency medicine to canine sports medicine.

Today the PVWDC has graduated over 100 detection dogs, trained hundreds of students and handlers, published 40 papers/reviews/chapters, provided congressional testimony and made “working dogs” a familiar and beloved topic. Just like the dogs at Ground Zero, the PVWDC has brought hope and promise through the noses and hearts of dogs.

Barbie Zelizer , Raymond Williams Professor of Communication, associate dean for research, and director of the Center for Media at Risk in the Annenberg School for Communication

The recollection of crisis is cluttered with before and after moments: before and after the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, the Trump presidency, COVID-19 . Bracketing time into before and after moments lets us separate objectionable or problematic circumstances from the drive to improve them. It’s no surprise, then, that the events of 9/11 are often framed as a demarcating point, segmenting, among other things, the U.S. media’s coverage of crisis into before and after moments. But how has post-9/11 crisis coverage changed from its earlier self, if at all?

The days following 9/11 spawned anguished hand wringing about where U.S. institutions, among them U.S. media, had gone wrong. The media’s unsatisfying coverage drew from well-established patterns that often framed events without context, glossed developments in simplicity and portrayed uncrossable camps between “us” and “them.” Calls for a new normal and for better coverage that could reflect more fully the positionalities of those being covered at first seemed to promise soul-searching and a nod toward more global understanding.

But 20 years later, little has changed. The world of the U.S. media is still largely bipolar, severed into two with little granularity, contemplation, or complexity. Coverage offers scant structural understanding of how and why crises unfold and hinders the development of meaningful intervention. And the media still refract distant crises through the prism of U.S. interests, shrinking and eliminating from coverage the positionalities that matter most.

Immediately after the events of 9/11, cries of “why us?” were everywhere. Twenty years later, those cries, though somewhat diminished, nonetheless impede change. As the gut-wrenching developments in Afghanistan accompany the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from a war begun in 9/11’s wake, a new before and after moment is developing. Maybe this time the media can resist its entrenchment and rather than ask “why us?” finally begin to ponder “why them?”

Roxanne L. Euben , Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences , School of Arts & Sciences

My first book out of graduate school focused on the political thought of a then-obscure Egyptian Islamist thinker named Sayyid Qutb. When the book was published in 1999, I assumed that precisely three people would read it, all family members. That radically changed in the immediate wake of 9/11, when fear, anger, and a hunger to make sense of the attacks cemented a shift, already underway, from a preoccupation with the Cold War to a focus on Islam, Islamism, and Muslims (often collapsed into one another). Almost any research on Islam moved from the margins to the epicenter of a country that seemed to be just waking up to how the rest of the world experiences U.S. power. At the same time, a new narrative of “Islam versus the West” had already begun to congeal, distorting the very political landscape it was imperative to understand.

Yet even as many barriers hardened, a few fractured. From my vantage point, these events actually helped crack open the field in which I work, political theory, conventionally organized around a canon of ‘Western’ philosophical books from Plato to NATO. Arguments about the parochialism of academic fields organized almost entirely around the study of Euro-American books were nothing new. But the combination of accelerated globalization and 9/11 drove home, as perhaps nothing else could have, the high price of insularity.

It’s now no longer outlandish to argue that political theory is a practice of inquiry rather than the study of specific answers located in a ‘Western’ canon, that it’s a distinctive way of asking questions about what matters in collective life upon which no particular culture or epoch has a monopoly. This way of reframing political theory is more than just a call to add a Muslim or Indian thinker to a syllabus and stir. It’s a recognition that the most pressing questions—and answers—of political life exceed the experiences and preoccupations of Euro-American thinkers. It’s an insistence that such questions equally take shape through ideas, concepts, and arguments formulated by both unfamiliar thinkers from elsewhere and from within ‘the West,’ past and present. And it’s an exhortation to call into question the very narratives and categories we’ve invented to provide the comfort of order in a disorderly world—beginning with “Islam versus the West.”

Ken Lum , Marilyn Jordan Taylor Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the Department of Fine Arts in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design

Like many, many people, I remember vividly the terrible day of September 11, 2001. I was on the telephone, a landline connection. It was early in the morning on the West Coast and I was speaking to a friend in New Haven, Connecticut. She was a newly hired professor of art history at Yale. I was excited for her, happy for her. From my high-up apartment in Vancouver, I could see the mountains change colors under the moving clouds. At some point in our conversation, Ann stopped speaking and there was only silence. After some moments she said: “You need to turn on your television set,” and I did so. I remember staring at the screen and feeling a sense of my own bodily presence in time and space as never before. I had forgotten that Ann was still on the line. But it turned out she had also forgotten about me.

I hung up the phone. I returned to the screen and just stared and stared and stared. On some fathomless level, everything that I had held to be true or wanted so desperately to believe in was suddenly open to question. The staring at the screen was deracinating. The deepest truths and the darkest secrets inside and about me seemed to be bubbling up everywhere in my mind and body, like molten lava. Volcanic rivers continue to course through the world and into me. They continue to scald my sense of self and what art had meant for me up until that point.

My dissatisfaction with the insufficiency of art has only grown since then but it has also become the source of what propels me.

Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher , senior lecturer, Graduate School of Education

The 20th anniversary of 9/11 provides an opportunity not only to reflect on what happened that day but more importantly, on the ongoing ripple effects that continue to shape our world.

Many young Americans see 9/11 as a moment in history, something that “happened” long ago; something that doesn’t affect their life. But that’s not the case for Arab, Muslim, Sikh, African, and South-Asian communities in the United States. Several colleagues and I are finishing a four-year national qualitative study with 13-to 23-year-olds from Muslim-American immigrant communities across over a dozen states in the U.S. Despite not being alive in 2001, these youth described how 9/11 continues to cast a shadow over their everyday experiences.

My research largely informs a current endeavor, the Teaching Beyond September 11th curriculum project that provides educators lessons to help their students explore the attack’s lingering impact on everything from U.S. military interventions abroad, to questions about civil liberties, to changes in media representation. The curriculum is not just for 9/11: It’s for any time in the year. It’s no exaggeration to say that teaching young people to be more aware of this history is one of the most effective interventions that we have for upholding our democracy.

I was on the George Washington Bridge heading into Manhattan at the exact time of the 9/11 attacks. I had emigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan the year prior to start my new life as a graduate student and a newlywed. Following that surreal day, I witnessed the backlash and rise in hate crimes against Muslim, Arab, and Sikh communities across the U.S. In the years after, I was drawn to study and work with immigrant communities and I can tell you this: Twenty years can feel like a long time, but it rarely does for the groups directly impacted by 9/11. That’s why the work I do is so important to me and why reflecting beyond September 11 is necessary for us all.

Leah Blain serves as the Clinic Director for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic , where she oversees all clinical, administrative, and outreach operations. Her clinical work focuses on trauma recovery, working with survivors of assault, abuse, and combat, on issues including depression, guilt and shame, anger, dissociation, and PTSD.

Barbie Zelizer is the Raymond Williams Professor of Communication, associate dean for research, and director of the Center for Media at Risk in the Annenberg School for Communication . A former journalist, Zelizer is known for her work on culture, memory, and images, particularly in times of crisis and war.

Cynthia Otto is a professor of Working Dog Sciences & Sports Medicine in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center .

Roxanne L. Euben is the Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences . Euben’s area of expertise and research is Muslim and Euro-American political thought, and her scholarship has addressed such topics as Muslim cosmopolitanism, jihad, and martyrdom and political action.

Ken Lum is a practicing artist, Marilyn Jordan Taylor Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the Department of Fine Arts in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design .

Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher is a senior lecturer in the Literacy, Culture and International Education Division, and director of the International Educational Development Program, in the Graduate School of Education . Her research focuses on the socialization, academic engagement, and civic commitments of migrant children and youth, which has informed her curriculum projects. She also is the co-producer and host of The Parent Scoop podcast.

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About a fifth of Americans cite 9/11 response as event that made them most proud of U.S.

About one-in-five Americans cite the country’s response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as the time in their lives when they felt most proud of their country, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in summer 2016.

The survey, a collaboration between the Center and A+E Networks’ HISTORY, asked U.S. adults in an open-ended format to name the times or events during their lifetimes when they felt most proud of and most disappointed in the United States.

The most commonly cited moment of pride – volunteered by 19% of respondents – was the national response to the 9/11 attacks. Those who cited the 9/11 response offered a range of specific reasons for feeling proud, including the bravery of first responders and the way the nation united in the event’s aftermath, as well as the outpouring of sympathy for the victims of the attacks. (Other responses to the attacks, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Osama bin Laden, were counted separately in the survey.)

Overall, the survey found that the Sept. 11 attacks united Americans in a way that few other historical events have. About three-quarters of Americans (76%) named the attacks as one of the 10 events in their lifetimes that had the greatest impact on the U.S., a far larger share than for any other event, including the tech revolution, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the moon landing. Regardless of gender, income or education level, or partisan affiliation, majorities of U.S. adults cited the 9/11 attacks among the 10 events that had the greatest impact on the country.

The lasting impact of the attacks on Americans is evident in other ways, too. In a survey conducted in August and September 2016, 91% of U.S. adults said they remember exactly where they were when they heard news about the attacks. Even among Americans who were between the ages of 3 and 13 when the attacks occurred, 83% said they could remember exactly where they were.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Americans rallied around President George W. Bush . In a Pew Research Center survey conducted shortly after the attacks, Bush’s approval rating hit a high of 86%, a rating exceeded in recent presidencies only by the 89% approval rating recorded by his father, George H.W. Bush, following the Persian Gulf War in early 1991.

John Gramlich is an associate director at Pew Research Center .

State of the Union 2024: Where Americans stand on the economy, immigration and other key issues

Public’s top priority for 2022: strengthening the nation’s economy, two decades later, the enduring legacy of 9/11, americans see spread of disease as top international threat, along with terrorism, nuclear weapons, cyberattacks, defending against terrorism has remained a top policy priority for americans since 9/11, most popular.

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Knowledge from Tragedy: NYU Research Post-9/11

© Hollenshead: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau

For many NYU scholars—some of them New Yorkers who witnessed the destruction of the World Trade Center from the vantage point of our Greenwich Village campus, less than two miles north—research has been an essential tool for better understanding the September 11 attacks and their aftermath. Over the past two decades, numerous faculty have studied 9/11’s impact on our physical and mental health; examined how to improve our nation’s security and preparedness; evaluated New York City’s infrastructure and resilience; analyzed the legal and policy consequences of the attacks; and captured painful and inspiring stories through art.

On the occasion of this anniversary, NYU News gathered a small sampling of projects that show how our researchers in diverse fields—whose efforts may carry personal as well as professional significance—rose to the occasion to generate knowledge and contribute to New York City’s recovery.

The psychological impact of the attacks

• Research by Silver’s Carol Tosone explored how the World Trade Center attacks affected the practice of therapists. After surveying Manhattan clinicians , she described the construct of shared trauma, which involves the dual impact of trauma on clinicians exposed both through their personal experiences and their work with survivors.
• Steinhardt researchers Beth Weitzman and Tod Mijanovich conducted a nationwide survey of youth and their parents before and after September 11 to examine psychological distress among American youth related to the attacks. They found that young people experienced more emotional distress after 9/11, and that those exposed to physical threats at school were especially vulnerable to the psychological effects of disasters.
• A special issue of the journal Traumatology , published in 2011, focused on reflections of NYU faculty, students, and administrators who were at the university on September 11. The articles offer insights into what the campus community experienced, as well as professional analyses on the impact of the event.
• Steinhardt art therapist Marygrace Berberian developed and facilitated a curriculum for post-9/11 recovery for children. The intervention culminated in a large installation of artwork across from Ground Zero , including self-portraits of more than 3,100 children from around the world.

The World Trade Center Children's Mural at 120 Broadway in 2002. Photo courtesy of Marygrace Berberian

Health and dangerous exposures 

• Research on 9/11 firefighters and EMS workers led by Anna Nolan and her team at the Grossman School of Medicine identified 30 chemical compounds that may help protect these first responders from losing lung function. These so-called metabolites are made when the body breaks down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and include protein-building amino acids and mega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish and olive oil. The findings suggest that drugs, dietary changes, and regular exercise can protect people exposed to toxic chemicals created by fire and smoke.
• An investigation by Leonardo Trasande and his team at the Grossman School of Medicine found that children living near the World Trade Center who likely breathed in toxic dust have elevated levels of artery-hardening fats in their blood, an early indicator of future heart disease. The study , which analyzed blood tests from over 300 kids, is the first to identify long-term cardiovascular health risks in children from toxic chemical exposure on 9/11, but offers hope that early intervention like diet and exercise can alleviate some of the health risks.
• Research involving the School of Global Public Health’s Jack Caravanos examined lead and other environmental toxins in New York City following the attacks. One study found only low levels of lead in dust in lower Manhattan, likely due to the extensive cleanup of the area, but also identified several "hot spots" of environmental lead elsewhere, including one in Staten Island that may have been connected to debris from the World Trade Center.
• A study led by the College of Dentistry’s Karen Raphael evaluated more than 1,300 women in the New York metro area both before and after the attacks to see whether symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia—a disorder marked by widespread pain—increased. She found that rates of fibromyalgia-like pain did not grow significantly after the attacks regardless of direct exposure to events, nor did prior depression predict the onset of this pain, suggesting that exposure to major stressors or prior depression are unlikely to be major factors in the development of fibromyalgia.

© Getty Images

Skyscrapers, infrastructure, and downtown Manhattan’s recovery

• The World Trade Center Evacuation Study , led by the School of Global Public Health’s Robyn Gershon , examined factors that helped people to quickly and safely exit the towers during the attacks. The study found that evacuees with lower levels of preparedness were more likely to report fear of working in tall buildings, stress, anxiety, and flashbacks compared to evacuees who had more emergency training. The findings helped lead to the first changes in New York City’s high-rise fire safety codes in more than 30 years.
• The ability to rapidly restore transportation, power, water, and environmental services is critical after a disaster. This became the focus of work by Wagner’s Rae Zimmerman , who evaluated New York City’s infrastructure and user needs before, during, and after September 11. Her research found that the capability of service providers to respond to needs for transportation, energy, communication, water, sanitation, and waste removal after the attacks was influenced by the flexibility of the initial infrastructure design and existing functions to respond to normal system disruptions and to other extreme events.
• A 2015 report by the Rudin Center found that the rebuilding of the World Trade Center will generate an enormous economic return for the Port Authority and the New York region.  

Preparing for future threats

• In 2002, NYU established the Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response with funding from Congress. The university-wide center, focused on improving the nation’s preparedness and response capabilities to terrorist threats and catastrophic events, coordinated and disseminated research and generated policy recommendations related to homeland security. Resulting research included reports on facial recognition technology , modeling to help hospitals prepare for disasters , and emergency medical services as the “forgotten first responder.”
• Soon after 9/11, the U.S. was faced with the potential for biological and chemical attacks, an area of focus for several researchers who are now part of the Tandon School of Engineering. Kalle Levon worked on the environmental detection of bioagents using funds from the Department of Defense and DARPA; Vikram Kapila conceived of a wireless sensor network to connect hazard-detecting sensors in New York’s subway stations; and Kurt Becker conducted research on the inactivation of biological and chemical agents, such as anthrax, as well as on sensing and quantifying trace concentrations of explosives . 
• Since many experts believed the next terrorist attack would be online, 9/11 was the impetus behind the creation of the Offensive Security, Incident Response, and Internet Security (OSIRIS) Lab , part of Tandon’s Center for Cybersecurity and led by Nasir Memon . Memon spearheaded a partnership with NYC Cyber Command , which leads the city’s cyber defense efforts, to run cybersecurity simulations to practice protecting the city’s systems from malicious attacks.

A 2019 cybersecurity training exercise with Tandon and NYC Cyber Command. Photo courtesy of NYU Tandon

Law and policy post-9/11

• The Reiss Center on Law and Security at the School of Law focuses on contemporary questions in the field of national security, including many that have arisen in the context of the “Forever War” that stemmed from September 11 and the evolution of power and legal authorities in the executive branch. In 2020, the Center published the War Powers Resolution Reporting Project , the first publicly accessible, searchable database analyzing the contents of more than 100 reports submitted by presidents to Congress, providing insights into the balance of powers between the branches with respect to how U.S. armed forces are used abroad.
• From 2005-2011, the then-Center on Law and Security also created a Terrorist Trial Report Card , a database that tracked the cases against alleged terrorists since 9/11, detailing the charges, convictions, plea bargains, and sentencing for federal terrorism prosecutions. In addition to the data collected in each of the 11 iterations of the report, the Terrorist Trial Report Card included analyses of the effectiveness of the "War on Terror" and the evolution in the Department of Justice's prosecution of these crimes. 
• The NYU Review of Law and Security , founded by the Center on Law and Security, published articles, updates on the Terrorist Trial Report Card, and transcript excerpts from major dialogues convened by the Center. Each issue centered on a timely topic in national security and counterterrorism, ranging from Al-Qaeda to the legal questions surrounding Guantanamo and the challenges of prosecuting terrorism.
• In The Matador's Cape: America's Reckless Response to Terror (Cambridge University Press, 2009), law professor and Reiss Center faculty co-director Stephen Holmes explored the causes of the “catastrophic turn” in American policy at home and abroad since 9/11. Holmes detailed Washington’s inability to bring “the enemy” into focus since 9/11, describing the ideological, bureaucratic, electoral, and emotional forces that distorted the American understanding of, and response to, the terrorist threat.
• Politics Professor Bernard Manin examined the history of emergency powers going all the way back to Rome—and argued that constitutional democracies should not use these measures to deal with terrorism. In an essay , he suggested that emergency powers only work well when implemented as temporary measures to deal with temporary threats, but with terrorism as a long-term problem, a different response was called for.

American culture after the attacks

• NYU Abu Dhabi sociologist John O’Brien spent over three years conducting ethnographic fieldwork with a group of young Muslim teenagers coming of age in post-9/11 America. His book, Keeping It Halal: The Everyday Lives of Muslim American Teenage Boys (Princeton University Press, 2017), illustrated how the teens faced anti-Muslim discrimination, but much of their lives centered around “normal” teenage problems, like music and dating.
• In a new book, Terrorism in American Memory: Memorials, Museums, and Architecture in the Post-9/11 Era (NYU Press, 2022), Steinhardt’s Marika Sturken writes that the terrorist attacks were the primary force shaping U.S. politics and culture in the post-9/11 era. Her earlier book, Tourists of History (Duke University Press, 2007), argued that Americans have responded to the national trauma of September 11 through consumerism and kitsch, and explored the contentious debates about memorials and celebrity-architect designed buildings at Ground Zero.
• In " On The Actuarial Gaze: From 9/11 to Abu Ghraib ," Steinhardt's Allen Feldman considers the larger impact of circulated images. His analysis of pictures and video stemming from 9/11 illuminates the visual structure of catastrophes.
• In Tolerance and Risk: How U.S. Liberalism Racializes Muslims (University of Minnesota Press, 2021), Liberal Studies' Mitra Rastegar examines representations of Muslims in the media and writes that sympathetic representations cast Muslims as as a population with distinct characteristics, capacities, and risks.

Images courtesy of NYU Press

Catalyzing creative expression

• In 110 Stories: New York Writes after September 11 (NYU Press, 2002), Ulrich Baer gathered a range of voices that convey the shock and loss suffered in September 2001. The lineup of 110 renowned and emerging writers captured the shape and texture of a city in crisis, and what its inhabitants absorbed in the aftermath of a few unforgettable hours.
• Distinguished Writer-in-Residence Jonathan Safran Foer penned the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), which centers on a nine-year-old boy whose father died in 1 World Trade Center. The book—which was later made into a film—was among several that formed a new genre of writing shaped by the attacks.
• Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11 (Bonus Books, 2002), co-edited by journalism professor Mitchell Stephens , is an oral history of the events of that day in the words of more than 130 television and radio journalists, ranging from network anchors to local reporters from Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  
• The 9/11 attacks inspired the composition of many artistic works, including a poem by Creative Writing’s Deborah Landau entitled “ Manhattan Fragments 2001-2002 ” and a musical composition by Steinhardt’s Faye-Ellen Silverman named “ Reconstructed Music ” (2002), which she began writing three days after the attacks.

This research was supported by funding from Congress, the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, among others.

September 1, 2011

Science after 9/11: How Research Was Changed by the September 11 Terrorist Attacks

New work in forensics, biodefense and cyber security blossomed after the attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and in the skies over Pennsylvania, but increased regulations have also stymied international collaboration as well as work on some infectious diseases

By Eugenie Samuel Reich

Two months after al Qaeda terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center towers in Manhattan on September 11, 2001, analytical chemist John Butler found himself working late nights in his lab, developing DNA assays to identify 911 victims from the tens of thousands of charred human remains recovered at Ground Zero. Thinking back, he still clearly remembers the sense of rising to a national need that was shared by dozens of researchers recruited to the same difficult problem. "People wanted to step up and help the country," he says.

Ten years on, Butler's solitary effort at National Institute of Standards and Technology has grown to a large research group working on the forensics of blended, degraded or soiled DNA, and U.S. expertise developed in the wake of 9/11 has also been exported worldwide, put to use identifying victims of mass atrocities in Africa, Asia, Bosnia and Iraq.

It is just one example of how a research direction blossomed as a result of 9/11. Scientists and science policy experts say the federal government's response to terrorist events in 2001, both the September attacks and the anthrax letters in October, have had a profound effect on U.S. research in areas as diverse as forensics, biodefense, infectious diseases, public health, cyber security, geology and infrastructure, energy, and nuclear weapons. Even the social sciences have been affected by the emergence of "terrorism studies" and the new emphasis on the threat in the field of risk analysis.

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A major conduit for the shifts is the availability of money: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), created by consolidating 22 federal services and agencies in 2002 in direct response to September 11, had a science budget that peaked at $1.3 billion in 2006 before falling again to about $700 million in 2011. Key science-funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, also put money into research motivated by security concerns (amounting to a total homeland security (this number does not refer to DHS but to homeland security funding across all agencies) research budget of $7.3 billion in 2011) and a small amount of the U.S. Department of Defense money associated with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ended up in the hands of researchers as well—for example, by funding work on explosives detection and weaponry.

In biodefense, so much money poured into science that Judith Reppy, a science and technology studies expert at Cornell University, even considered whether (adapting the term coined by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1961) a "biomedical-military-industrial complex" has emerged in which scientists, the military and lobbyists conspire to try to keep the funds coming . She rejected that hypothesis, finding that biomedical science in the U.S. remains primarily a civilian endeavor, but says 9/11 has introduced trimmings of "guards, guns and gates," and increased funding research on pathogens that might be used by terrorists.

Some of the post-9/11 changes have entailed increased regulation. Jerry Jaax, a veterinarian and infectious disease researcher who oversees research compliance at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kans., says that many biomedical fields have been swamped by such new regulations or increased enforcement of pre-9/11 regulations in a bid to prevent researchers and the materials they handle from becoming security threats. He says federal rules on select agents—pathogens that require special facilities and handling—and on imports and exports of biological samples and materials, have slowed the ability of scientists to do research important to public and agricultural health. "Some say we're regulating away our ability to do this kind of research and I think there's some truth to that," he says.

And, a major difficulty has been immigration. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 imposed stringent new visa requirements that restricted scientists and science students from all over the world from entering the U.S. Albert Teich, who has tracked the issue for the American Association for the Advancement of Science where he is director of science and policy programs, says that problem peaked in 2003, but has since improved, especially following lobbying of Congress by scientific societies and advice from the National Academy of Sciences, whose 2009 report " Beyond 'Fortress America '" and 2007 report " Rising above the Gathering Storm " were among those to suggest the rules be eased. But the policies had a lasting impact on the ability of U.S. researchers to collaborate and recruit students, he says.

Teich adds that security concerns have cast a shadow over U.S. science in a number of ways, and points to the erection of a steel security barrier around the perimeter of the previously open campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. "To me," he says, "that fence is a very dramatic visual impact of 9/11 on science."

Articles on 9/11 (September 11)

Displaying 1 - 20 of 157 articles.

I documented dozens of shrines to people who’ve died in North Philly − here’s what they tell us about memory, grief and trauma

Gordon Coonfield , Villanova University

Americans used to unite over tragic events − and now are divided by them

Thomas D. Beamish , University of California, Davis

A reflexive act of military revenge burdened the US − and may do the same for Israel

Peter Mansoor , The Ohio State University

Emergencies Act inquiry report should tackle the racist origins of national security

Reem Bahdi , University of Windsor ; Fahad Ahmad , Toronto Metropolitan University ; Jeffrey Monaghan , Carleton University , and Yasmeen Abu-Laban , University of Alberta

Is the terrorism threat over?

Greg Barton , Deakin University

Jan. 6 Committee’s fact-finding and bipartisanship will lead to an impact in coming decades, if not tomorrow

Claire Leavitt , Smith College

Who was Ayman al-Zawahri ? Where does his death leave al-Qaida and what does it say about US counterterrorism?

Haroro J. Ingram , George Washington University ; Andrew Mines , George Washington University , and Daniel Milton , United States Military Academy West Point

Your past is my present – how Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses history

Anil Menon , University of Michigan and Pauline Jones , University of Michigan

Ukraine war shows it’s time to do away with the racist ‘Clash of Civilizations’ theory

Katherine Bullock , University of Toronto

War sent America off the rails 19 years ago. Could another one bring it back?

Jason Opal , McGill University

Cabinet papers 2001: how ‘securitisation’ became a mindset to dominate Australian politics for a generation

Chris Wallace , University of Canberra

20 years after 9/11, the men charged with responsibility are still waiting for trial – here’s why

Lisa Hajjar , University of California, Santa Barbara

Afghanistan’s war rug industry distorts the reality of everyday trauma

Jamal J. Elias , University of Pennsylvania

9/11: how politicians and the media turned terrorism into an Islamic issue

Jared Ahmad , University of Sheffield

9/11 twenty years on: al-Qaida is defeated – but jihadism is here to stay

Christina Hellmich , University of Reading

9/11 inspired an outpouring of classical music – too much of it thoughtless and emotionless

Ian Pace , City, University of London

9/11 survivors’ exposure to toxic dust and the chronic health conditions that followed offer lessons that are still too often unheeded

Roberto Lucchini , Florida International University

American Muslims are at high risk of suicide – 20 years post-9 /11, the links between Islamophobia and suicide remain unexplored

Amelia Noor-Oshiro , Johns Hopkins University

9/11 did not change the world – it was already on the path to decades of conflict

Paul Rogers , University of Bradford

How 9/11 changed cinema

Maria Flood , University of Liverpool and Michael C. Frank , University of Zurich

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Smart News | September 9, 2021

Free Online Resources About 9/11

Browse 12 archives, databases and portals that help users deepen their understanding of the attacks

Nora McGreevy

Correspondent

Twenty years after September 11, 2001, the first generation that grew up in a world profoundly altered by the attacks is coming of age.

Many of these young adults have little or no memory of the day itself. As the Pew Research Center reports, just 42 percent of 25-year-old Americans clearly remember where they were when they learned of the attacks. But for those who do remember, the horror of 9/11 remains fresh.

On that day, more than 2,977 people were killed in New York, Arlington and Pennsylvania. Thousands sustained physical injuries, and thousands more continue to reckon with trauma inflicted by the tragedy. Post- 9/11 wars , including those in Afghanistan and Iraq, have killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more. The profound changes wrought by September 11, including the U.S. military response and the attacks’ impact on American art and culture , continue to be felt to this day.

Individuals hoping to learn more about this multifaceted history may find it difficult to know where to start. To support this search, Smithsonian has compiled a list of 12 free resources that deepen readers’ understanding of the September 11 attacks and their complicated, painful legacy. From the Library of Congress to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, these archives, databases and web platforms help researchers and members of the public alike make sense of one of the most defining events of the 21st century.

National September 11 Memorial and Museum

Every year, millions of people visit Ground Zero to see the two square reflecting pools installed where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) once stood. The museum affiliated with this memorial offers a bevy of digital resources , including explanatory exhibitions about the history of the WTC and the search for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden . Librarians and educators can register to download a free poster exhibition about the attacks for classroom use.

Online viewers can also peruse the museum’s collection of more than 70,000 artifacts, including material evidence such as a pair of shoes worn by a survivor of the towers’ collapse. Those interested in hearing firsthand accounts of the day can listen to an edited selection from the museum’s ever-expanding collection of more than 1,000 oral histories.

September 11 Digital Archive

A project of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, this free online archive holds more than 150,000 files related to 9/11. Users can browse over 40,000 first-person accounts; scroll through some 15,000 images; or peruse emails, documents, sound clips, videos and other digital ephemera.

The Library of Congress

Within hours of the attacks, Library of Congress (LOC) staff began collecting original materials linked to the day. Online users can search the library’s digital collections to find photographs, poetry, art, maps and eyewitness accounts of 9/11, many of which were featured in a 2002 exhibition at the Washington, D.C. institution.

The library’s 9/11 web archive preserves slices of the early internet as it appeared in the weeks and months following the attacks. Offerings include memorial websites, the front pages of major magazines like the New Yorker , political and religious websites, and the home page of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee .

On the day after the attacks, the LOC’s American Folklife Center started collecting oral history interviews with survivors and people across the country. “This collection captures the voices of a diverse ethnic, socioeconomic, and political cross-section of America during trying times and serves as a historical and cultural resource for future generations,” the library notes. Listeners can hear more than 150 of the audio recordings here .

National Museum of American History

Shortly after September 11, Congress designated the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) as the official repository for all objects related to the attacks. Curators cast a wide net, searching for items that explained the immediate impact of the violence and illuminated rescue and recovery efforts.

Today, viewers can explore the collection online. Items of note include the cellphone that then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani used to coordinate emergency efforts on the day of the attacks and a clock from the Pentagon whose hands froze when the plane hit the building.

NMAH also holds a turban that once belonged to Balbir Singh Sodhi , an Indian immigrant who owned a gas station in Mesa, Arizona. Four days after the attacks, a gunman killed Sodhi in a drive-by shooting. The killer had assumed that Sodhi was Muslim because of his turban; in reality, he was a follower of the Sikh faith. His murder marked the first in a wave of post-9/11 hate crimes against Muslim, South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in the U.S.

Brooklyn-based nonprofit StoryCorps preserves short oral histories—some accompanied by animations—from September 11 survivors and victims’ families. Viewers can peruse the multimedia stories and read transcripts of interviews on the organization’s website. Listings include an interview with Sodhi’s brothers, Rana and Harjit Sodhi .

American Archive of Public Broadcasting

The September 11 attacks consumed news cycles across the country on the day of the event and for weeks afterward. Through the 9/11 Special Coverage Collection at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting , members of the public can comb through hours of footage from 68 local and national television and radio stations.

Featured clips include a “PBS NewsHour” segment that aired on the evening of 9/11 and a September 12 “ New York Voices ” episode that found hosts Bill Moyer and Bill Baker interviewing religious leaders, callers and frontline workers as they began to process the attacks.

The Costs of War Project

More than 50 scholars, human rights practitioners and other experts contribute to Brown University’s Costs of War project, which documents the enormous human and monetary cost of the U.S.-led, post-9/11 military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as related violence in Pakistan and Syria. Readers can explore academic papers, data and classroom resources for free on the program’s website . All told, the team estimates that these conflicts have killed more than 929,000 people and displaced more than 38 million across the world.

Pew Research Center

To mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Hannah Hartig and Carroll Doherty of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center compiled a comprehensive, user-friendly overview of data about 9/11. Readers can access the resource here . Topics covered include trends in public opinion over the past two decades: For instance, though Americans overwhelmingly supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at their outset, 69 percent now say that the U.S. mostly failed to achieve its goals in Afghanistan.

Othering and Belonging Institute’s Islamophobia Project

Researchers with UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute maintain a searchable database of anti-Muslim legislation introduced and enacted in the past decade, as well as major shifts in anti-Muslim sentiment that took place in the U.S. in the wake of 9/11. Online users can use the site more broadly to learn about the history of Islamophobia and find additional reading resources on the subject.

National Archives and Records Administration

In late 2002, Congress and President George W. Bush created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, otherwise known as the 9/11 Commission , to research the events of September 11. Investigators conducted more than 1,200 fact-finding interviews. Executive summaries of some of these interviews have been declassified and can be located in the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) digital catalog .

The commission’s full report, which is preserved by NARA and can be read in full here , chronicled the events of the day as accurately as possible and provided recommendations to prevent future attacks.

U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Within three years of the attacks, the United States had launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The military also opened Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a U.S. military prison in Cuba, as part of a series of aggressive anti-terrorism military operations.

In 2014, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released an investigative report detailing the CIA’s use of torture and other human rights abuses inflicted on prisoners at Guantanamo and elsewhere during the so-called “War on Terror.” Though the full document remains classified, members of the public can read the committee’s executive summary, findings and conclusions online .

The New York Times

On the tenth anniversary of the attacks, the New York Times created an expansive hub for educators seeking to explain 9/11 and its impact on the world to students. Free resources include lesson plans, activities and readings that address complex subjects such as the war in Afghanistan and racism against Muslim Americans.

A separate anniversary collection designed for adult readers is available online, too. Highlights include more than 2,500 “ impressionistic sketches ” of lives lost, an interactive reconstruction of the World Trade Center as it stood prior to the attacks and a feature article on Muslim Americans who came of age in the decade following 9/11.

The Washington Post

In 2019, a protracted legal battle mounted by the Washington Post successfully secured the release of a series of interviews with high-ranking officials about the war in Afghanistan. Reporter Craig Whitlock published the Post ’s first survey of the papers in an article titled “ At War With the Truth ”; the story was later turned into a book .

As Whitlock reported, the documents “reveal[ed] that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.” Readers can explore the Post ’s reporting, feedback from the public and interviewees, timelines of the war, and more than 2,000 pages of documents online.

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Nora McGreevy | | READ MORE

Nora McGreevy is a former daily correspondent for Smithsonian . She is also a freelance journalist based in Chicago whose work has appeared in Wired , Washingtonian , the Boston Globe , South Bend Tribune , the New York Times and more.

Primary Sources

This collection of primary sources was developed to help teachers engage students in a variety of key topics related to 9/11 and the War on Terror. The topics were developed as a result of our research into how 9/11 and terrorism are being taught in the US and what teachers needed to include perspectives often missing from textbooks and other curriculum sets. Therefore, we compiled primary source sets centered around key themes that emerged from our research and aligned with inquiry questions developed as part of our Teaching with Primary Sources project.

American Intelligence Failure

Perspectives of Muslim and Arab Americans

Rise of the TSA

September 11, 2001 - The Day of the Attacks 

Soviet & Afghan War

The Patriot Act

Veteran’s experiences.

Funding for this project was provided by The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region Grant Program.

National Archives News

Remembering 9/11

Smoke rises from the site of the World Trade Center in New York City, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Paul Morse;  National Archives Catalog ID 5997250 )

Map of four flights and timeline of events on September 11, 2001. ( National Archives Catalog ID 5899988 )

President George W. Bush and White House staff at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, FL, watch news coverage of Flight 175 striking the South Tower of the World Trade Center. (Photo by Eric Draper;  National Archives Catalog ID 204326996 ) 

Onboard the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower , U.S. Navy sailors watch televised news reports, showing the World Trade Center, during the terrorist attacks. (Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin K. Thomas, USN;  National Archives Catalog ID 6610647 )

A sign states "All Crossings to New York Closed" after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York City. (Photo by Paul Morse;  National Archives Catalog ID 205206239 )

President George W. Bush visits New York City on September 14, 2001. (Photo by Eric Draper;  National Archives Catalog ID 5997294 )

President George W. Bush waves to rescue workers while touring the site of the World Trade Center terrorist attack in New York City. (Photo by Eric Draper;  National Archives Catalog ID 5997292 )

A helmet and flowers sit atop a rack at New York City's Engine Co. 55 firehouse in New York City. (Photo by Eric Draper;  National Archives Catalog ID 5997366 )

Firefighters try to contain the fire after the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Jim Varhegyi;  National Archives Catalog ID 6523862 )

An aerial view of the Pentagon two days after September 11 shows the impact point where the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. (U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Cedric H. Rudisill;  National Archives Catalog ID 6523869 )

Firefighters gather outside the Pentagon hours after American Airlines Fight 77 was piloted by terrorists into the building. (Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jim Watson;  National Archives Catalog ID 6610676 )

As rescue and recovery operations continued, family members gathered at the Pentagon on September 15 to view the area where their loved ones perished. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Valceanu;  National Archives Catalog ID 6519375 )

Near Shanksville, PA, a chain-link fence bearing flags, hats, rosaries, and other items served as a temporary memorial honoring the passengers and crew of Flight 93. ( National Archives Catalog ID 5616340 )

A marker at the temporary memorial, near Shanksville, PA, honors the passengers and crew of Flight 93, hijacked on September 11, 2001. ( National Archives Catalog ID 5616321 ) 

The National Archives safeguards many records related to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, including those of the 9/11 Commission , the 9/11 Federal Aviation Administration records, and the records of the George W. Bush Presidential Library .

Most of us remember where we were and how life changed that day. As an agency with facilities in Washington, DC, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California, the immediacy of the events felt that much closer to our homes and workplaces.

Left: Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry render honors as firefighters and rescue workers unfurl an American flag at the Pentagon. (Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pendergrass) View in National Archives Catalog

Video: A Life of Selfless Service, Sacrifice, and Civic Engagement: Cyril "Rick" Rescorla

• Teaching Activities for all grade levels focused on Rick Rescorla, who helped thousands of people to safety in the World Trade Center on 9/11.
• More primary sources  

Blogs and Social Media

First pitch showcased in all american exhibit demonstrates how sports helped unite nation after 9/11.

The photo of President Bush throwing out the first pitch of the World Series remains a symbol of a step toward a return to normalcy following the attacks, both for New York City and the United States. More

‘In our New York office: A day like no other’

On the anniversary of the attacks, we reprint the firsthand account from staff at the National Archives at New York City. (National Archives News) More

• AOTUS:  We Remember: 20th Anniversary of 9/11
• NARAtions: Remembering 9/11: Photos from the George W. Bush Library on Flickr
• National Archives News:  9/11 Fireman’s Son Sees Dad on National Archives Instagram
• Pieces of History:  9/11: An Address to the Nation
• Pieces of History: Ten Years Later: Handling 9/11 Commission Records
• Pieces of History: 9/11: The World Series and a President’s Pitch
• Pieces of History: The Patriot Act
• Pieces of History: 9/11: An Address to the Nation
• The Text Message: Shutting Down the Sky: The Federal Aviation Administration on 9/11
• The Text Message: Rusty the Comfort Dog
• The Text Message: The Zone
• The Text Message: September 11 Through the Eyes of Children
• The Text Message: The Best Prophet of the Future is the Past: September 11—1970, 1981, and 2001
• Transforming Classification: PIDB Recommends the Prioritized Declassification of 9/11 Records
• Today’s Document: The Twin Towers
• Unwritten Record:  Remembering 9/11
• Facebook: Reflections on a 9/11 Anniversary

Images from 9/11

9/11 Flickr Collection from the George W. Bush Presidential Library

• 9/11: A Presidential Reaction
• 9/11: A National Resolve
• 9/11: A Day of Remembrance
• 9/11: A Global Response
• 9/11: A Spirit Renewed

Selection of photographs in the National Archives Catalog

9/11 Commission Records at the National Archives

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, aka the 9/11 Commission, was an independent, bipartisan commission created by Congress to provide a "full and complete accounting" of the 9/11 attacks. The Commission operated from 2003 to 2004 and held hearings, conducted interviews, and issued a final report. 

When the 9/11 Commission closed on August 21, 2004, it transferred legal custody of its records (approximately 570 cubic feet of textual records alone) to the National Archives. As part of the Legislative Branch, the Commission’s records are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. 

Due to the collection’s volume and the large percentage of national security classified files, the National Archives staff continues to process these materials.

9/11 Commission Resources Online

• 9/11 Commission records : Introductory page
• 9/11 Commission records FAQs : Answers to frequently asked questions about access to the records.
• 9/11 Commission's website preserved as it appeared on August 21, 2004 (the Commission's closing day). Includes staff monographs, staff biographies and statements, the final report, hearing transcripts and video, lists of witnesses, and press releases.
• 9/11 Commission Memoranda for the Record (MFRs): Commission staff conducted and summarized more than 1,200 interviews.

9/11 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Records

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compiled records to support internal and external investigations of the events. This collection consists of 126 cubic feet of textual, audio, and electronic files.

• 9/11 FAA Records web page and FAQs 
• Finding aid to 9/11 FAA records
• 9/11 FAA Open Files 
• 9/11 FAA Glossary and Vocabulary
• 9/11 FAA File Inventory and Corrected File Names

At the Presidential Libraries

William J. Clinton Library

• USS Cole and September 11, 2001

George W. Bush Library

• September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks
• Video: Address to Nation on Terrorist Attacks, 9/11/2001
• Video: Remarks from Emma E. Booker Elementary School, 9/11/2001
• Video: Remarks at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, 9/11/2001
• Video: President Bush Visits Ground Zero, remarks to First Responders, 9/14/2001
• President George Signs the Patriot Act, 10/26/2001
• Archived website from the George W. Bush White House: Remembering 9/11

Barack Obama Library

• President Obama Speaks at 9/11 Museum Dedication, 5/14/2014
• Proclamation—Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 9/9/2011
• Vice President Joe Biden on Remembering 9/11: "We are a Nation about Possibilities"
• Presidential Address: Death of Osama Bin Laden, 5/2/2011

Donald J. Trump Library

• What the World Learned on September 11, 2001
• Continuation of National Emergency Re: Persons who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism
• Presidential Proclamation on National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2019

Building the World Trade Center

"Constructing the World Trade Center" - VISION USA, No. 06, 1972 ( National Archives Identifier 58975 )

World Trade Center Photographs from the DOCUMERICA Project

Working Papers

Tracing bank runs in real time.

Marco Cipriani , Thomas M. Eisenbach and Anna Kovner

We use high-frequency interbank payments data to trace deposit flows in March 2023 and identify twenty-two banks that suffered a run, significantly more than the two that failed but fewer than the number that experienced large negative stock returns. The runs were driven by large (institutional) depositors, rather than many small (retail) depositors. While the runs were related to weak fundamentals, we find evidence for the importance of coordination because run banks were disproportionately publicly traded and many banks with similarly bad fundamentals did not suffer a run. Banks that survived a run did so by borrowing new funds and then raising deposit rates, not by selling liquid securities.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21144/wp24-10

The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption. This paper reports results from the first nationally representative U.S. survey of generative AI adoption at work and at home. In August 2024, 39 percent of the U.S. population age 18-64 used generative AI. More than 24 percent of workers used it at least once in the week prior to being surveyed, and nearly one in nine used it every workday. Historical data on usage and mass-market product launches suggest that U.S. adoption of generative AI has been faster than adoption of the personal computer and the internet. Generative AI is a general purpose technology, in the sense that it is used in a wide range of occupations and job tasks at work and at home.

We thank Kevin Bloodworth II and Eli Tsung for excellent research assistance. The views in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Federal Reserve System, or the National Bureau of Economic Research. The survey was funded in part by the Walmart Foundation, grant 252882.

MARC RIS BibTeΧ

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53 Confucius Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on confucius, 🎓 most interesting confucius research titles, 💡 simple confucius essay ideas.

• Confucius: The Five Great Relationships
• Jesus and Confucius Comparison
• Plato, Confucius, and Han Fei: Definitions of Society
• Structure and Concepts of “Analects” by Confucius
• Confucius, Aristotle, and Plato: The Issue of Harmony
• Philosophical Views of Confucius vs. Seneca
• Han Fei, Confucius, and the Athenian Argument
• Confucius’s Equivalent for the Golden Rule
• Han Fei and Aristotle: Interpret of the Passage by Confucius
• History of China: Confucius and His Teachings
• Confucius. His Unique Contribution to World Religions
• Influence of Yin Yang on Confucius and Lao Zi’s Way of Thinking
• China’s Ancient Civilization: 5000 Years of History and Growth
• Concept of Confucian Values in Modern Leadership
• Overview of Life and Legacy of Confucius
• Confucianism and its Influence on Chinese Culture
• The Five Constants: Exploring Confucius’ Core Virtues
• The Role of Filial Piety in Confucian Thought
• Confucius and the Concept of the Junzi (Noble Person)
• Confucianism and its Impact on East Asian Political Systems
• The Analects: Key Teachings of Confucius
• Concept of Education in Confucian Philosophy
• Confucius’ View on Governance and Leadership
• Confucianism and the Development of Chinese Ethics
• The Role of Ritual (Li) in Confucian Philosophy
• Confucius and the Concept of Ren (Benevolence)
• The Influence of Confucius on Chinese Legalism
• Analysis of Confucianism vs. Daoism
• Confucius and the Representation of Women in Society
• The Evolution of Confucian Thought Over Time
• Confucianism in the Modern World: Relevance and Challenges
• Confucius’ Ideas on Harmony in Society
• Confucius and the Concept of Rectification of Names (Zhengming)
• The Role of Confucianism in the Chinese Education System
• Confucius’s Role of the Family in Society
• The Effect of Confucianism on Korean and Japanese Cultures
• Confucianism and the Concept of Loyalty (Zhong)
• Confucius and the Importance of Moral Self-Cultivation
• The Confucian Perspective on Justice and Law
• Confucianism and the Chinese Imperial Examination System
• The Confucian Approach to Conflict Resolution and Disagreements
• Confucius on the Relationship Between Rulers and Subjects
• Concept of ‘Tian’ (Heaven) in Confucian Thought
• Confucianism in the Virtue of Leadership
• Confucius and the Development of Chinese Literature
• The Influence of Confucius on Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Confucius’ Ideas on Wealth and Poverty
• An Aspect of Confucianism in Chinese Family Structure
• Confucianism and the Ethical Treatment of Animals
• Confucian Thought in Contemporary Chinese Politics
• The Concept of Humaneness in Relationships of Confucius
• Confucianism and the Chinese Communist Party
• Perspective of Confucianism on Environmental Ethics

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StudyCorgi. (2024, August 12). 53 Confucius Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/confucius-essay-topics/

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StudyCorgi . "53 Confucius Essay Topics." August 12, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/confucius-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2024. "53 Confucius Essay Topics." August 12, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/confucius-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Confucius were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on September 23, 2024 .