--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The September 11, 2001, attacks on the…" description: "\"The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in the American government's approach to Islami..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png" --- # The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center… ![“The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in the American government's approach to Islamic terrorism.” quote by Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png) > “The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in the American government's approach to Islamic terrorism.” [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The attacks reshaped U.S. counterterrorism policy, leading to new strategies and structures. **In simple terms:** 9 changed U.S. anti‑terrorism approach. Key Takeaway Understand policy shifts after crises. Themes politics security policy history Mood serious inquisitive Type historical political When to use this quote - national security planning - academic research - public discourse Key Concepts terrorism studies government response strategic change Questions to Reflect On - How did the shift affect civil liberties? - What long‑term impacts remain? A Different Perspective Policy changes can have unintended consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-government/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Islamic terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic-terrorism/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Pentagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentagon/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-trade/) [World trade center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-trade-center/) ## Related quotes > [I was visiting my mother in Florida when the September 11, 2001 attacks happened. I was working on The Tale of Despereaux at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-was-visiting-my-mother-in-florida-when-the-september-11-2001/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [While it may be true that the UAE has been an ally since the September 11, 2001, attacks, the American people know it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-gordon/while-it-may-be-true-that-the-uae-has-been-an-ally-since-the/) [Bart Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-gordon/) > [That day, my first day on the job, was September 11, 2001! I was actually being recognized by Switzerland the very day that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercer-reynolds/that-day-my-first-day-on-the-job-was-september-11-2001-i-was-actually/) Mercer Reynolds > [It was with horror that I learned of the abominable terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-schroder/it-was-with-horror-that-i-learned-of-the-abominable-terrorist-attacks/) [Gerhard Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-schroder/) > [We're going to find out who did this and we're going after the bastards. \[referring to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/we-re-going-to-find-out-who-did-this-and-we-re-going-after-the-2/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) > [I would say, we have had a lot of problems with radical Islamic terrorism, that's what I'd say. We have had a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-would-say-we-have-had-a-lot-of-problems-with-radical-islamic/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the urgent aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, with more attacks thought to be imminent, analysts wanted to use 'contact chaining' techniques to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/in-the-urgent-aftermath-of-sept-11-2001-with-more-attacks-thought-to/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [We must engage in a whole-of-government approach to combat Russian active measures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-burr/we-must-engage-in-a-whole-of-government-approach-to-combat-russian/) [Richard Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-burr/) > [I think it is just stupid economics for a government to approach economic management from a strand of thinking regarding unions as enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-think-it-is-just-stupid-economics-for-a-government-to-approach/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [If you didn't know better, you might have thought in 2003 and 2004 that U.S. government strategy was being set by people trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/if-you-didn-t-know-better-you-might-have-thought-in-2003-and-2004/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) > [The government's approach in extending support to athletes for international competitions has undergone a transformational change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/the-government-s-approach-in-extending-support-to-athletes-for/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of America's resolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/these-acts-shattered-steel-but-they-cannot-dent-the-steel-of-america/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001, not Saddam Hussein and Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-defazio/it-was-osama-bin-laden-and-al-qaeda-who-attacked-the-u-s-on-september/) [Peter DeFazio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-defazio/) > [Consistent with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1622(d), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency previously declared on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/consistent-with-section-202-d-of-the-national-emergencies-act-50-u-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) ## More by Amy Waldman > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Nothing in life gets dropped without someone else having to pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/nothing-in-life-gets-dropped-without-someone-else-having-to-pick-it-up/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I wasn't sitting around years ago thinking, 'I really want to write a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-wasn-t-sitting-around-years-ago-thinking-i-really-want-to-write-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“She ate ramen noodles from the vending machine, their texture just a few molecular recombinations from the Styrofoam cup containing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/she-ate-ramen-noodles-from-the-vending-machine-their-texture-just-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My children, who are almost two: watching them develop has made me pay much closer attention to how we become who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-children-who-are-almost-two-watching-them-develop-has-made-me-pay/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [The rhetoric is the first step, it coarsens attitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-rhetoric-is-the-first-step-it-coarsens-attitudes/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [In life, redemption was walking up the down escalator: stop to congratulate yourself, and back you slid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/in-life-redemption-was-walking-up-the-down-escalator-stop-to/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Perhaps this was the secret to being at peace: want nothing but what is given to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/perhaps-this-was-the-secret-to-being-at-peace-want-nothing-but-what/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Eden, paradise - all the best gardens are imaginary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/eden-paradise-all-the-best-gardens-are-imaginary/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My parents are aging and there are difficult issues. It's strange to have children at the beginning of life and parents nearing the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-parents-are-aging-and-there-are-difficult-issues-it-s-strange-to/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Imagination, it turns out, is a great deal like reporting in your own head. Here is a paradox of fiction-writing. You are crafting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/imagination-it-turns-out-is-a-great-deal-like-reporting-in-your-own/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“Don't succumb to the fear; don't mistake the absolutism of Khan's opposition for morality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/don-t-succumb-to-the-fear-don-t-mistake-the-absolutism-of-khan-s/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Fabricating reality was criminal; editing it, commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/fabricating-reality-was-criminal-editing-it-commonplace/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-had-been-a-reporter-for-15-years-when-i-set-out-to-write-my-first/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [So the premise of 'The Submission' is that there's an anonymous competition to design a 9/11 memorial and it's won by an American Muslim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/so-the-premise-of-the-submission-is-that-there-s-an-anonymous/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) [Explore all 45 Amy Waldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## More American government quotes > [“For the same reason , the American government has invented a completely new juridical category , that of 'illegal enemy combatants'. In general, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzvetan-todorov/for-the-same-reason-the-american-government-has-invented-a-completely/) [Tzvetan Todorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzvetan-todorov/) > [“vividly revealed the arms industry’s ‘constant tendency towards bribery, and the playing off of one country against another to sell arms’. It also exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-feinstein/vividly-revealed-the-arms-industry-s-constant-tendency-towards/) [Andrew Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-feinstein/) > [“Are they a secret part of the American government or a powerful private corporation? Is there a difference? To me, it doesn’t matter. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/are-they-a-secret-part-of-the-american-government-or-a-powerful/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [“When we examine, not the language of the propaganda, but the witness of the combatants themselves, religion does not occupy the first place. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzvetan-todorov/when-we-examine-not-the-language-of-the-propaganda-but-the-witness-of/) [Tzvetan Todorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzvetan-todorov/) > [I'm an American. Why would I not go with my government?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/i-m-an-american-why-would-i-not-go-with-my-government/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-opposed-to-any-form-of-tyranny-over-the-mind-of-man/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ With almost no time to decide, \[your loved ones\] gave the entire country an incalculable gift. They saved the Capitol from attack. They saved… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/with-almost-no-time-to-decide-your-loved-ones-gave-the-entire-country/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundaries-specially-drawn-around/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [No. But then the American Government--whatever branch--has never really grasped the concept of tribal identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/no-but-then-the-american-government-whatever-branch-has-never-really/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“Whatever his disappointments, Hamilton, forty, must have left Philadelphia with an immense feeling of accomplishment. The Whiskey Rebellion had been suppressed, the country's finances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/whatever-his-disappointments-hamilton-forty-must-have-left/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“American breweries preexisted American government; some of the breweries’ staunchest supporters were also the leaders of the new nation. In colonial America, the alehouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-nachel/american-breweries-preexisted-american-government-some-of-the/) Marty Nachel > [I know these days it sounds a little odd, but American governments are very fearful of European reaction. They were afraid we would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/i-know-these-days-it-sounds-a-little-odd-but-american-governments-are/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [“In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-shoebat/in-1786-jefferson-then-the-american-ambassador-to-france-and-adams/) [Walid Shoebat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-shoebat/) > [“So we Europeans are shocked by the blind, uncomprehending hard-heartedness that certain American government policies imply. I am thinking of the terrible tariff walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/so-we-europeans-are-shocked-by-the-blind-uncomprehending-hard/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilford-woodruff/those-men-who-laid-the-foundation-of-this-american-government-and/) [Wilford Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilford-woodruff/) [Browse all 189 American government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-government/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in the American government's approach to Islamic terrorism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Waldman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-world-trade-center-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American government" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-world-trade-center-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/amy-waldman-14698_american-government_the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-wor_1317333.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in…” — Amy Waldman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amy Waldman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The September 11, 2001, attacks on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-world-trade-center-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-september-11-2001-attacks-on-the-world-trade-center-and-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```