The terrorist attacks on September11, 2011 had profound effects upon the American political landscape. There were major changes in public policy and public perceptions, which had long-lasting consequences.
One immediate effect was more government intrusion and a greater public tolerance for it. Following the attacks, there were changes in rules and procedures for passengers of airlines and other forms of public transportation. Luggage was more thoroughly searched, more items were prohibited, and passengers faced longer lines at airports. Although it was kept secret at first, the U.S. government increased its surveillance of a broader range of American citizens and residents, and broadened the limits of acceptable interrogation techniques of people in custody. Although some of these policy changes were controversial, they were now much more acceptable than before the attacks.
Another effect was an increase in anti-Islamic feeling among the American public. Many Americans were willing to let people of Middle-Eastern origin face greater restrictions in public transportation. A few Americans went further, and engaged in illegal threats and attacks against law-abiding Moslems living in this country. There was also increased criticism of Islam by many American politicians and media celebrities. Anti-Islamic feeling had always been around for part of the American public, but after the 9-11 attacks it became much more outspoken.
The 9-11 attacks had a direct effect upon American foreign policy by sparking two major military interventions. In less than two years the United States had launched invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Though the regimes governing those countries were both quickly overthrown, the United States and its allies became involved in long-running struggles against fundamentalist Islamic insurgency forces. Eventually there was a lot of public and political opposition to these interventions, but in the 18 months following 9-11 public support was pervasive.
The expansion of American overseas involvement led directly to the fourth major effect. Coming at the same time as a major tax cut initiative, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan helped turn a national budget surplus into a large budget deficit. The budget savings that had been anticipated with the end of the Cold War vanished nearly overnight. This was only a minor problem as long as the economy was running well, but when the financial system crashed in 2008 there was little the federal government could do to grease the wheels of the American economy.
