On September 11 2001, hijackers took control of four aircraft and crashed into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, in events that changed the world forever. It raised questions not only about the United States’ foreign policy but also about its assumed dominance as the leading international superpower. Ten years on since 9/11, the political landscape is very different: the US has a different President in the form of Barack Obama, elected in 2008, while the head of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in May 2011. In this audio series, originally recorded in 2008, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Dr Richard Heffernan, and Dr Simon Bromley, both of The Open University, discuss the consequences of September 11th, and the impact it's had on the United States' hegemony, its global leadership and its diplomatic and military strategy. For an undergraduate course looking at similar political themes, try The Open University's DU301 A world of whose making?
Reflecting on 9/11
Richard Heffernon looks back at the tragedy of 9/11.
9/2/2011 • 4 minutes
Transcript -- Reflecting on 9/11
Transcript -- Richard Heffernon looks back at the tragedy of 9/11.
9/2/2011 • 0
The United States as a Superpower
Is the US the world's only 'Superpower'? Richard Heffernan and Simon Bromley discuss this notion.
9/2/2011 • 6 minutes, 55 seconds
Transcript -- The United States as a Superpower
Transcript -- Is the US the world's only 'Superpower'? Richard Heffernan and Simon Bromley discuss this notion.
9/2/2011 • 0
The impact of 9/11 on the US's political leadership
Richard Heffernan and Simon Bromley discuss the significance of the attacks on September 11th.
9/2/2011 • 8 minutes, 20 seconds
Transcript -- The impact of 9/11 on the US's political leadership
Transcript -- Richard Heffernan and Simon Bromley discuss the significance of the attacks on September 11th.
9/2/2011 • 0
Preventative v's Pre-emptive war
Simon Bromley explains what is meant by Preventative war and Pre-emptive war.
9/2/2011 • 4 minutes, 34 seconds
Transcript -- Preventative v's Pre-emptive war
Transcript -- Simon Bromley explains what is meant by Preventative war and Pre-emptive war.
9/2/2011 • 0
Military strategy after 9/11
A look at the shift towards a new strategy preventative war.
9/2/2011 • 8 minutes, 31 seconds
Transcript -- Military strategy after 9/11
Transcript -- A look at the shift towards a new strategy preventative war.
9/2/2011 • 0
Reflections on the US's reaction to 9/11
How did the US react to the 9/11 attacks?
9/2/2011 • 5 minutes, 32 seconds
Transcript -- Reflections on the US's reaction to 9/11
Transcript -- How did the US react to the 9/11 attacks?
9/2/2011 • 0
Radicalist groups and the US
What do radical Islamists want from the United States, and are the US likely to defeat or deal with them?
9/2/2011 • 3 minutes, 13 seconds
Transcript -- Radicalist groups and the US
Transcript -- What do radical Islamists want from the United States, and are the US likely to defeat or deal with them?