America 250 · 2001–2020
9/11 & War on Terror
The two decades the country spent fighting wars it can't quite explain.
From the morning of September 11 through the withdrawal from Afghanistan — Tora Bora, Iraq, Abu Ghraib, the surge, drone strikes, the killing of bin Laden, the long withdrawal. Two decades whose history is still being written.
Presidents who served
Histories
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
Steve Coll · 2004
Pulitzer winner. How we got here — Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion to the morning before the towers fell.
Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House
Peter Baker · 2013
The best book on what actually happened inside the West Wing — the war's decisions, by the Times reporter.
Lives
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
David Remnick · 2010
Remnick on Obama's pre-presidency — the rise that the era's first half made possible.
Fiction
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mohsin Hamid · 2007
Hamid's monologue — a Pakistani man in Lahore tells an American stranger what 9/11 did to him in New York.
On screen
Zero Dark Thirty
Kathryn Bigelow · 2012
Bigelow on the decade-long hunt for bin Laden. The torture scenes were the controversy; the procedural was the achievement.
Generation Kill
David Simon · 2008
HBO seven-part miniseries from the Wire team — the 2003 invasion of Iraq through one Marine recon platoon.
Common questions
What is the best book to understand the origins of the 9/11 & War on Terror era?
Ghost Wars by Steve Coll is the definitive account of the CIA, Afghanistan, and the rise of bin Laden leading up to the September 11 attacks. It provides the essential historical context required to understand the geopolitical landscape that defined the start of the 9/11 & War on Terror era.
How should I begin researching the political leadership during the 9/11 & War on Terror era?
Peter Baker’s Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House serves as the primary resource for examining the executive decision-making process. It details the internal dynamics of the administration during the most critical years of the 9/11 & War on Terror era.
Which film best captures the military and intelligence operations of the 9/11 & War on Terror era?
Zero Dark Thirty is the recommended screen treatment for this period. It dramatizes the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, illustrating the tactical and intelligence-gathering efforts that characterized the middle years of the 9/11 & War on Terror era.
Why does the 9/11 & War on Terror era matter for modern history?
This era covers the two decades the United States spent fighting complex conflicts from Tora Bora to the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It represents a transformative period of history that includes the surge, drone strikes, and the long-term geopolitical consequences of the 9/11 & War on Terror era.
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