9/11 changed America's place in the world. What did Russia and China learn?

9/11 changed America's place in the world. What did Russia and China learn?

September 6, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

This episode explores how Russia and China perceived the United States' actions following the September 11th attacks and subsequent events.

After the September 11th attacks, both Russia and China saw an opportunity to forge a closer relationship with the United States. Then, the U.S. fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and weathered the financial crisis of 2008. What did Russia and China learn about the United States along the way? This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman and Kathryn Fink. It was edited by Janaya Williams and Sarah Robbins. Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse. And our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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