US national security in the 20 years since 9/11

Ian Bremmer Explains: US National Security in the 20 Years Since 9/11 | GZERO World

Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, many people hoped that the death of Osama Bin Laden would signal an end to America's role as the de facto world police. Instead, 20 years later we are seeing the impact of US national security policy play out once more in Afghanistan. The Taliban is now back in control, a local ISIS group has claimed responsibility for the bloody attack on August 26, and big questions remain about what America's war there actually accomplished. America's image abroad has been hurt by high civilian casualties to torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, while policies implemented in the US in the name of security included huge (and at times even illegal) surveillance dragnets of US citizens and gave law enforcement unprecedented powers. But the United States has avoided another catastrophic 9/11-style attack on our soil. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer explores the question: is the US actually safer today than before the towers fell?

Watch the episode: Is America Safer Since 9/11?

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

The shifting geopolitical landscape and uncertainty surrounding the future of AI have stirred anxiety among those gathered in Davos. Yet, there are glimmers of hope. “The most important thing for me is really to turn the anxiety into action," said Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft.

Migrants line up to leave the United States for Mexico after being deported across the Paso del Norte international border bridge after President Donald Trump promised mass deportation operation, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Jan. 23, 2025.
REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

As Donald Trump begins to roll out his plans for the “largest deportation operation in history,” Mexico, the country with the highest number of unauthorized citizens living in the US — some 4 million people — is preparing to welcome back thousands of deportees. Mexico plans to send anyone from elsewhere back to their home countries.

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

During his first week in office, Donald Trump took steps to withdraw the US from two major international commitments: the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. Will this create opportunities for other global powers, not least China, to fill the void?

President Donald Trump makes a special address remotely during the 55th annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2025.
REUTERS

GZERO’s very own Tony Maciulis is in the Alps reporting from the 55th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Today he decided the theme should be turning anxiety and fear into action.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko take part in a signing ceremony following a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec. 6, 2024.
Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS

Ahead of Sunday’s election in Belarus, there is little doubt that Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s longest-serving leader, will win a new term in office. After the protests that erupted following the 2020 elections, threatening his grip on power for the first time, a government crackdown supported by Russia has eliminated any opposition to the president. We sat down with Eurasia Group expert Alex Brideau to learn more about the upcoming election.

President Donald Trump makes a special address remotely during the 55th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2025.
REUTERS/Yves Herman

GZERO Publisher Evan Solomon writes that Donald Trump’s planned tariffs mean the US and Canada are headed for a trade war they don’t need over a prize they both already have.