9/11- A Year Later

For the postwar generation, the 9/11 tragedy has been called "Our Pearl Harbor." But is it? There are major differences between the two events. More people were killed in New York and Washington on 9/11 than at Pearl Harbor. The 9/11 casualties were civilians, not soldiers and sailors. A country, Japan, not a shadowy extra-legal terrorist group, attacked Pearl Harbor. And unlike December 7th 1941, September 11th 2001 did not put the United States on a war footing. Or did it?

To discuss these questions and others raised by the tragic events of a year ago, we spoke with three distinguished guests: Boston Herald's veteran political columnist and editorialist Wayne Woodlief, Boston University College of Communications professor Caryl Rivers, and Boston University's Center for International Relations director and professor Andrew Bacevich, whose soon to be published book, "American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy" makes the case that military force is increasingly the primary tool of the American foreign policy.