12.4September 11 and its wars

On September 11, 2001, terrorists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked airliners and destroyed New York's World Trade Center and struck the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people. The attacks stunned the nation and reoriented American foreign policy around a "war on terror."

President George W. Bush launched wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), the latter deeply controversial and based partly on flawed intelligence about weapons that were never found. The conflicts proved long and costly, entangling the United States in the Middle East for years. At home, the government expanded surveillance and security powers, sparking lasting debates over the balance between liberty and safety.