Did 9/11 put the US on a permanent war footing?

About this episode

Christiane and Jamie reflect on their emotional memories of 9/11 and discuss its lasting impact on America and the world.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, Christiane and Jamie dedicate a special episode to their memories of the day the world changed forever. Christiane becomes emotional as she recalls the first time she saw the images of planes hitting the Twin Towers. She also reveals how it took her so long to hear about the attack in the first place, given she was thousands of miles away on assignment in Sierra Leone, cut off from phones and pictures. She describes the scramble to get word to her, the long journey back to London to broadcast, and her fear that Jamie might also have been a target for the terrorists. Meanwhile, Jamie explains how he instinctively declared the incident 'an attack on the world' as he went on air to react - and unpicks what the US Government got right and wrong in its immediate response to 9/11. Later, Christiane & Jamie turn to what those attacks set in motion. Why did the world unite behind the war in Afghanistan, and how did that consensus collapse in Iraq? They explain how the Iraq War began the long destruction of trust in America, not only because there were no weapons of mass destruction, but because the war was fought so badly. And they finish on the question…

People in this episode

Host: Christiane Amanpour

Guest: Jamie

Topics covered

• 9/11 memories
• media response
• US government actions
• war in Afghanistan
• Iraq War
• trust in America
• permanent war footing

Keywords

• 9/11
• Christiane Amanpour
• Jamie
• US Government
• Afghanistan
• Iraq War
• Trump
• media response
• trust
• permanent war

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Government, America

Places: Sierra Leone, London, Afghanistan, Iraq

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