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| A memorial to a victim of the September 11 terrorist attacks next to Ground Zero in New York [Getty] |
The attacks of September 11 changed the United States and the world. The fingerprints of that day are visible on everything, from law enforcement to air travel, immigration regulations, and money transfers. In short, much of what we do has been impacted by 9/11.
In the US, a chorus of voices from metro stations to baseball games reminds Americans to keep guard, and the anniversary revives painful memories.
America responded to the attacks by launching the global "war on terror," which began with the invasion of Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had given Al Qaeda shelter. The USA PATRIOT (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act was enacted almost immediately.
But has America gone too far, by turning into a nation that tortures suspects, spies on its citizens without warrants, and dismisses the Geneva Conventions as quaint? Can America fight its enemies while maintaining civil rights and a respect for international law?
On Thursday Riz speaks with two legal experts on legal and security matters in a time of fear. David Cole is a professor of law at Georgetown University and author of Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror. And Ruth Wedgwood is a professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.
You can join the conversation. Click here and send us your feedback or email riz@aljazeera.net to let us know your views.
Part one
Part two
This episode of Riz Khan aired on Thursday, September 11, 2008.
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