POL111 Week 2 Assignment

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The Expansion or Contraction – Big Bang in Politics! Justin Coates The University of Arizona Global Campus POL 111: Introduction to Political Science Instructor Holand Nordholm 10/16/2023

Throughout my career, I was asked many times “where were you on September 11”. Now I pose that question to the readers of this essay, do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001, during the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers in New York? Some of you may not have been born yet. I remember exactly where I was. I just awoke in my mothers’ house, where I lived at the time. I was a 21-year-old man still trying to find my path in life. I walked into the kitchen where my mother was intently watching the television we had in the connected dining room. By the time I started watching, both Twin Towers had already been struck. I was confused as to why there were two skyscrapers with smoke billowing out of them on the news (I had not read the captions yet). Then it struck me. A 757-jet plane collided with each tower. As I started to realize the United States of America had just been attacked by terrorists, the first tower crumbled to the ground. Not twenty minutes later, the second tower did the same. As more details were revealed, it became painfully evident that the United States was at war. The events on September 11, 2001, ultimately led to my decision to join the United States Air Force. What I did not realize, is how much that day changed so many things for the executive institution of the U.S. In this essay, I will explain the 9/11 attacks, why and how these attacks changed the nature of the Executive Branch, and how and why these attacks changed the capabilities of the Executive Branch. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are the worst attacks to ever occur on American soil since the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. These attacks are the result of 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group, Al Qaeda (Bergen, 2003). As a result of these attacks, approximately 2,900 people lost their lives. According to Abu Walid al-Masri, an Egyptian who was a bin Laden associate in the 1980s, claimed in the years prior to the 9’11 attacks, bin Laden became convinced that America was weak. As such, bin Laden started

formulated a plan that would become the 9’11 attacks. This plan involved training pilots that would crash planes into important buildings in the United States. The hijackers all lived in the United States and attended commercial pilots’ schools prior to the September 11 attacks. On the day of the attacks, the 19 hijackers boarded four different flights and once in the air, took control of the planes. The first plane to reach its destination struck the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The second plane struck the south tower approximately 17 minutes later. Just under an hour after the first plane reached its destination, the third plane struck the southwest side of the Pentagon. The only plane to fail in reaching its destination was the fourth plane to be hijacked. This plane was headed for the White House when the passengers decided to attempt to take back the control of the flight, resulting in the plane crashing in Shanksville, PA (Bergen, 2003). The attacks on September 11, 2001, shook America to the core and forced us realize we are not impervious to attack. It also forced the United States President and the government to change the way they view protecting the United States and her people. It drove a change in the nature of the Executive Branch. The government’s response to the 9/11 attacks changed popular view. Many Americans have grown accustomed to expecting their leaders to take a more proactive approach to security and counterterrorism activities. For greater security, they were more willing to accept some civil liberties restrictions. The National Security Agency (NSA), the FBI, and other intelligence and security organizations saw a major rise in attention and resource allocation. Their contributions to intelligence gathering and counterterrorism became more noticeable. The biggest adjustment was the increased focus on national security and the enlargement of executive authority in this area. The Executive Branch, headed by President George W. Bush, contended that the nation needed a stronger and more proactive executive role in protecting it due to the changing threat of

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