The Danger of American Isolationism

The 9/11 attacks on the US were 25 years ago this week and, while there hasn’t been a second such shock, questions remain as to the Free World’s preparedness, whether a divided America can rediscover unity, and the strength of international alliances. Phillip Zelikow, the Hoover Institution’s Botha-Chan senior fellow and executive director of the 9/11 Commission, discusses lessons learned from the attack.

For many Americans, 9/11 changed us in profound ways. The images of planes being flown into buildings, of desperate people jumping from the Twin Towers are seared into our memory. Few can understand the hatred that led nineteen hijackers to intentionally take thousands of lives.

Hoover Institution fellow Philip Zelikow explores whether America is truly safer today than on 9/11, how terrorist threats have evolved from centralized sanctuaries to online radicalization, and why conflicts in Gaza and Iran may not drive terrorism the way many assume.