Twenty five years ago the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history, on 11 September 2001, saw 2,977 people killed in New York, Washington, and aboard the planes hijacked by 19 members of Al-Qaeda.
An immediate response followed with the US-led ‘war on terror’, which saw Western forces occupy Afghanistan and Iraq, and two decades of military operations across the Middle East and beyond.
We look back over a quarter of a century to examine the longer-term consequences of 9/11.
We examine how US foreign policy and military power changed perceptions of America and its allies. We look at the consequences for a Middle East still riven by conflict. And we discuss how the focus on counterterrorism left the US positioned to deal with a new multipolar era in which it faces challenges from Russia and the rise of China.
This week’s episode is hosted by Laurel Rapp, director of Chatham House’s US and North America Programme, standing in for Bronwen Maddox.
She is joined by General Sir Richard Barrons, a senior consulting fellow with the International Security Programme. Also by Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. And by Jason Burke, International Security Correspondent of the Guardian.
Produced by Podmasters, with thanks to Stephen Farrell.
Home page photograph: Wreckage of the World Trade Center on 13 September 2001 in New York City, by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.
About Independent Thinking
Independent Thinking is a weekly international affairs podcast hosted by our director Bronwen Maddox, in conversation with leading policymakers, journalists and Chatham House experts providing insight on the latest international issues.
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