MGA Faculty Q&A With Dr. Billy Wooten: The Enduring Legacy Of 9/11

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Thursday, September 5, 2024 12:00 AM
Categories: School of Arts and Letters | Faculty/Staff | Pressroom

Macon, GA

One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower, is the main building that replaced the original World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York City. The 9/11 attacks were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out that day by al-Qaeda using hijacked commercial airliners. The 9/11 attack killed 2,977 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history. (Adobe Stock image.)

As we approach the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the reverberations of that day continue to influence global politics, national security, and American society. The events of 9/11 not only redefined American’s role on the world stage but also transformed domestic policies and reshaped national identity. For this Q&A, we talked to Dr. Billy Wooten, dean of MGA’s School of Arts & Letters, who shared his opinions on the enduring impact of 9/11 and what it means for older and younger generations today.

How do you think the events of 9/11 continue to shape American society and politics 23 years later?

To this day, 23 years later, I can recount each moment of where I was and what I was doing on September 11, 2001. From getting ready for my first day of graduate school and watching the planes hit the Twin Towers in real time, to driving to the campus listening to the coverage of the plane hit the Pentagon, to arriving to campus and watching the news on the giant monitors, and crying with my new classmates in the journalism building. I remember feeling fear, grief, and patriotism all at once – a sensation I’d never felt before.

In the weeks that followed, watching our country unite in sadness and the will to rebuild was inspirational; a natural political skeptic and government critic, even I purchased a flag and proudly supported our republic. However, as we all saw, our collective sense of patriotism and unity unfortunately gave way to division, mistrust, and ethnocentrism. The debate over how to balance national security with individual freedoms, as well as the contentious politics surrounding the War on Terror, contributed to the broader polarization seen in American politics today. Post-9/11, there was a noticeable rise in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. as well as a considerable mistrust of our immigration policies, which is echoed in the polarizing rhetoric in our current election cycle around immigration reform. Sadly, with polarizing rhetoric comes inevitable acts of discrimination, hate crimes, and a heightened sense of vulnerability among our immigrant populations. One lasting legacy of 9/11 is that our country started down a path of political and global isolationism that still affects our global standing as the world’s greatest hegemon.

As anyone who travels still experiences, the 9/11 attacks led to significant changes in U.S. national security policies in the transportation and surveillance sectors. The implementation of the PATRIOT Act expanded the government's surveillance capabilities and altered the balance between security and civil liberties. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are direct effects of the terror attacks, and these measures continue to influence security protocols and public perception of government surveillance.

I would be remiss, however, if I did not point out at least one positive repercussion of the terror attacks. The events of 9/11 highlighted the need for improved emergency preparedness and response systems. The focus on crisis management, disaster response, and resilience has influenced how communities prepare for and respond to emergencies, both natural and human caused.

In what ways has 9/11 altered international relations and the global balance of power over the past two decades?

Perhaps no other event except for the U.S. decision to enter World War II has had a more profound impact on the U.S.’s global position as a superpower. The immediate aftermath of 9/11 saw us launch the War on Terror, leading to military action in Afghanistan and Iraq and a shift from traditional state-centric threats to combating non-state actors like al-Qaeda and ISIS. Arguably, national security became much more challenging as counterterrorism efforts became much more abstract. In fact, the Bush administration's adoption of a preemptive strike doctrine marked a significant shift in engagement protocol, with the U.S. asserting the right to act against perceived threats before they fully materialize. While the U.S.’s focus was honed on counterterrorism and the Middle East, other countries capitalized, like China which took the opportunity to expand its influence economically and politically, particularly in Asia and Africa. Russia also took advantage of the power vacuum to reassert itself on the global stage, which in large part gave way to the war in Ukraine we face today.

Given the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the shifting focus in global politics, how do you assess the long-term legacy of the “War on Terror?”

One thing is for certain, there has been a major geopolitical shift since we began the so-called War on Terror. The U.S. led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq have altered regional dynamics in the Middle East, contributing to the rise of new powers like Iran and Syria, a shift in alliances, and ongoing instability in the Middle East. We have seen a reconceptualization of what we define as terrorism and more focus on the radicalization of those who were and still are resistant and disillusioned with the U.S.’s actions in the Middle East, including those who we now label as domestic terrorists, like we saw with the Boston Marathon bombers. Another lasting impact is the dramatic increase in military and security expenditures, with what some analysts say is a 600 percent increase in military spending since 2001. However, the most disheartening repercussions of the War on Terror center on the loss of human life, the displacement of entire populations leading to diasporas across the globe, and the long-term psychological and societal impacts of war.

How do you think perspectives on 9/11 differ between those who experienced it firsthand and younger generations who learned about it secondhand or have only vague memories of it?

I think those of us who experienced 9/11 in real-time have a sacred obligation to educate younger generations on how the events created effects they still live with today. We have a certain epistemic privilege because we are able to provide unique firsthand perspectives that offer more comprehensive and critical insights into the social conditions that exist today because of 9/11. Does a teenager know why they have to take their shoes off at the TSA checkpoint, or why they cannot carry liquids or knives on a plane? The war on terror impacted the national debt, which affects that teenager. As the memories of 9/11 become more distant, younger generations will not know the emotions we felt as we watched the planes hit in real time. They will not know what it was like seeing on live TV the body of the first known casualty of the rescue efforts, Father Judge, being carried from the debris. We must keep these memories alive and truly never forget.