September 11: Symbolism and Responses to "9/11"
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Mark Hopkins
Professors Hopkins and Hopkins review the impact of 9/11 as a symbol in American politics. Following the terrorist attacks, "9/11" became a simple reference condensing wide-ranging events and emotions. Various interpretations emerged about what caused "9/11" and enabled the attacks. The authors claim that 9/11 allowed US leaders to pursue certain policy prescriptions that otherwise would have been blocked. Among four possible prescriptions for responding to the attacks, the Bush administration chose a "praetorian" policy of preventive war, with Iraq as its first example. In the authors’ view, by pursuing an expansive but highly militarized response, the US has overlooked the need to alleviate the conditions that made 9/11 possible. The authors recommend that the US, as part of a multilateral effort, allocate major resources to expanding "global public goods," including measures that strengthen barriers to proliferation, enhance fighting of global crime, and reduce incentives for terrorism, especially ones arising in failing states where distorted education and weak protection of human rights encourage organized terrorism.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Handicapping the 2004 Nomination Race: An Early Fall Prospectus
- George W. Bush's Presidential Project and Its Prospects
- September 11: Symbolism and Responses to "9/11"
- An Irresponsible Intrusion
- Ninth Circuit Erred in Allowing Recall Election with Punch Card Votes
- California Recall Voting: Nuggets of California Gold for Voting Behavior
- Schwarzenegger in Transition: Time to Govern
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Handicapping the 2004 Nomination Race: An Early Fall Prospectus
- George W. Bush's Presidential Project and Its Prospects
- September 11: Symbolism and Responses to "9/11"
- An Irresponsible Intrusion
- Ninth Circuit Erred in Allowing Recall Election with Punch Card Votes
- California Recall Voting: Nuggets of California Gold for Voting Behavior
- Schwarzenegger in Transition: Time to Govern
