>> IN SOME WAYS IT SEEMS LIKE
ONLY YESTERDAY.
AND OTHERS IT WAS A LIFETIME
AGO.
THIS SATURDAY MARKS THE 20TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER
11th ATTACKS THE DEADLIEST
SUCH EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY.
3,000 PEOPLE DIED INCLUDING MORE
THAN 340 FIREFIGHTERS AND 72 LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
SOME 25,000 PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
THE NEXT DAY SEPTEMBER 12TH
"CHICAGO TONIGHT" REPORTED ON
THE AFTERMATH HERE IN CHICAGO.
FROM BACK IN 2001 HERE IS RICH
SAMUELS.
>> CHICAGO RETURNED TO NORMAL
TODAY WITH NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS.
THE FINANCIAL MARKETS REMAIN
CLOSED AND ENHANCED SECURITY WAS
VISIBLE AROUND PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
THE CITY TODAY ENCOURAGED OWNERS
OF HIGH-RISES RESIDENTIAL AND
COMMERCIAL TO DO LIKEWISE.
>> FIRST THEY NEED TO BE VERY
VIGILANT AND THEN THEY NEED TO
BE PRO-ACTIVE, YOU KNOW.
EACH ONE OF THESE BUILDINGS HAVE
SECURITY REGULATION THEY HAVE TO
HAVE A SECURITY POLICY, A
SECURITY PROTOCOL THINGS THEY
HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
AND RIGHT NOW WE AT THE HEIGHT
OF SECURITY NOT ONLY IN THIS
AREA BUT ACROSS THE TIME AND
IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO ENFORCE
THE PROTOCOLS.
>> AT 12:30 THE MAYOR ANNOUNCED
CITY HALL WOULD BECOME A VENUE
FOR A BLOOD DRIVE.
THE LINE OF DONORS STRETCHED
HALF A BLOCK.
>> IT WAS AN ERIE SIGHT A
SPARKLING CLEAR DAY AND EMPTY
RUNWAYS.
NOTHING WAS MOVING.
PLANES THAT CARRY MUCH OF THE
NATION'S MAIL U.P.S. AND FEDEX
SAT ON THE GROUND.
INFORMATION AS TO WHEN THE
AIRPORT WOULD REOPEN CHANGED
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
>> TO THE EXCEPT THAT WE ARE
MOVING OR STARTING OPERATIONS,
THAT IS WHY I SAY WE ARE GOING
TO ALLOW PASSENGERS WHO ARE
DIVERTED YESTERDAY TO BE
CONTINUING ON THOSE FLIGHTS.
BUT IT WAS NOT CLEAR WHEN THOSE
LIMITED FLIGHTS WOULD BE ABLE TO
TAKE OFF.
MAYOR DALEY BRISTLED WHEN
PRESSED WHEN OWE PAIR WOULD
REOPEN.
>> YOU CANNOT OPEN ONE AIRPORT
IN THIS COUNTRY, AND FLY
NOWHERE.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THIS HAS TO BE
DONE IN FULL COOPERATION WITH
THE AIRLINES AND F.A.A.
THOUGH YOU OPEN AN AIRPORT YOU
HAVE NO PLACE TO GO.
>> WHEN PASSENGERS ARE ALLOWED
IT WILL BE UNDER DIFFERENT
RULES.
NO CURBSIDE CHECK IN.
NO OFF AIRPORT CHECK IN.
NO E TICKETS.
ONLY TICKETED PASSENGERS ALLOWED
BEYOND SECURITY CHECKS.
>> THAT RACE RICH SAMUELS AND
ELIZABETH BRACKETT REPORTING FOR
"CHICAGO TONIGHT" BACK ON
SEPTEMBER 12, 2001.
20 YEARS LATER WE ASSESS HOW
SAFE THE COUNTRY IS TODAY.
JOINING US ARE THOMAS MOCKAITIS,
THE DePAUL UNIVERSITY HISTORY
PROFESSOR WITH A FOCUS ON
TERRORISM AND INTERNATIONAL
SECURITY.
HATEM ABUDAYYEH EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE ARAB AMERICAN
ACTION NETWORK ORGANIZED FOR THE
ARAB COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO.
AND ROBERT PAPE A UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO POLITICAL SCIENCE
PROFESSOR SPECIALIZES IN
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS.
WE WELCOME ALL OF YOU BACK TO
"CHICAGO TONIGHT."
PROFESSOR PAPER YOU WERE ON THE
PROGRAM AFTER 9/11 GIVING YOUR
THOUGHTS WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED.
LET'S LOOK AT THAT.
>> STATES AND SOCIETIES THAT
FACE THIS LEVEL OF AIR ATTACK
ROUTINELY GO THROUGH PERIODS OF
TREMENDOUS ANGER, TREMENDOUS
GRIEF AND FEAR WHICH BREEDS DEEP
DESIRE FOR RETRIBUTION AND HEAVY
RETRIBUTION.
THE DILEMMA WE CASE IN THIS
CASE, IS THAT MOVING TOO QUICKLY
AND TOO HASTILY FOR BOWING TO
THAT EMOTION, I FEEL IT MYSELF.
BOWING TO THAT EMOTION TOO
HASTILY COULD WELL MAKE MATTERS
WORSE.
>> AS WE KNOW IN SHORT ORDER,
THE UNITED STATES ENGAGED IN
WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.
ROBERT PAPE, KNOWING WHAT YOU
SAID DID THE U.S. ACT TOO
HASTILY AFTER 9/11?
>> YES, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT CLIP
REALLY CAPTURES THE HEART OF THE
REASON FOR THE PROBLEMS THAT
WE'VE EXPERIENCED IN THE WAR ON
TERROR.
ALTHOUGH MANY OF US HOPED THAT
THE FEAR AND ANGER THAT WE FELT
ON THAT DAY WOULD NOT END UP
LEADING TO OVERREACTION WHICH
WOULD ONLY MAKE PROBLEMS WORSE
FOR INNOCENTS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY
AND INNOCENTS OVERSEAS AND
ACTUALLY PRODUCE MORE TERRORISTS
THAN WE KILL.
WHICH WAS THE RESULT IN IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN.
THE FUNDAMENTAL FACT OF THE
MATTER IS THAT THAT EMOTIONAL
WOUND OF 9/11 CAUSED A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DESIRE FOR
RETRIBUTION AND PAYBACK.
AND THAT OVERWHELMED GOOD
STRATEGIC SENSE WHICH THEN IS
THE CORE REASON UNDERNEATH WHY
WE HASSLED AND ABUSED THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS IN
THE UNITED STATES WHO WERE NOT
TERRORISTS.
WHY WE INVADED IRAQ WHICH HAD
NOT BEEN ATTACKING US AND DIDN'T
HAVE WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION.
UNDERNEATH IT ALL WAS
UNFORTUNATELY THAT EMOTION THAT
WAS CAUSED BY 9/11.
>> WE KNOW HOW THE TWO CONFLICTS
HAVE RESULTED.
THOMAS MOCKAITIS, 20 YEARS LATER
HOW IS LIFE IN AMERICA STILL
IMPACTED BY WHAT HAPPENED THAT
DAY AND THE SUBSEQUENT FALLOUT?
>> THE BITTER IRONY THAT THE
ANNIVERSARY COMES IMMEDIATELY
AFTER THE WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ
AND AS BOB SAID, ONE OF THE MOST
UNFORTUNATE THINGS WAS THE
GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM.
BECAUSE THOSE OF US WHO STUDY
THIS WERE LEARY OF THAT FROM THE
BEGINNING.
YOU DON'T MAKE WAR IN ANISM.
IT PERPETUATED CONFLICT AND WE
WASTED $4 TRILLION ON IRAQ AND
AFGHANISTAN.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE
ISLAMOPHOBIA, THE ANTI-IMMIGRANT
SENTIMENT FUELED INTO WHAT WE
DIDN'T YET REALIZE WAS A GROWING
WAVE OF WHITE SUPREMACY WHICH
WOULD PEAK IN 2016 WITH THE
ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP AND IS
SADLY WITH US.
>> CERTAINLY A TREND OF NATIVISM
AMONG POCKETS OF THIS COUNTRY.
HATEM ABUDAYYEH TO THAT POINT,
HOW HAS LIFE CHANGED IN THE LAST
20 YEARS FOR ARAB AMERICANS,
MUSLIM AMERICANS, IMMEDIATELY
AFTER 9/11 AND STILL TODAY IN
2021?
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THE UNITED
STATES WENT INTO AFGHANISTAN IN
THAT WAR REALLY FOR ITS
RESOURCES AND DID THE SAME IN
IRAQ TWO YEARS LATER.
THERE WAS THE PRETEXT FOR WAR
BUT ESSENTIALLY THERE WERE
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
THAT WERE MADE BY DEFENSE
CONTRACTORS, OTHER MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATIONS, INCLUDING THE DICK
CHENEY'S PREVIOUS COMPANY
HALLIBURTON WHICH HE WAS THE
C.E.O.
AND AS THE VICE-PRESIDENT AT
THAT TIME.
SO IT WAS A WAR FOR EMPIRE AND
THERE WERE RICH RESOURCES IN
AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ THAT THE
U.S. WANTED TO GET A PIECE OF
AND DIDN'T WANT CHINA, RUSSIA
AND OTHER SOME WESTERN EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES TO GET THOSE.
I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK
ABOUT THE CONTEXT OF THE WARS AS
WELL.
AND THEN HOW THEY AFFECTED OUR
COMMUNITY.
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY A THOUSAND
ARABS AND MUSLIMS WERE DETAINED.
THE PATRIOT ACT WAS PASSED.
MASSIVE SURVEILLANCE OF OUR
COMMUNITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND THEN SPECIAL REGISTRATION OF
2002 IN WHICH 83,000 MEN FROM 24
ARAB OR MUSLIM MAJORITY
COUNTRIES WERE FORCED TO GET
FINGERPRINTED, PHOTOGRAPHED,
INTERVIEWED BY THE INS AT THE
TIME IMMIGRATION NATURALIZATION
SERVICE.
13,000 ENDED UP IMMEDIATELY IN
DEPORTATION PROCEEDINGS AND NOT
ONE WAS CONVICTED OF A CRIME
RELATED TO TERRORISM.
>> HUGE IMPACT.
>> BROAD NET WAS DROPPED ON THE
COMMUNITY AND IT CRIMINALIZED
AND OTHERRED US.
>> HUGE IMPACT ON THE MUSLIM
COMMUNITY.
ROBERT PAPE THE JUSTIFICATION 20
YEARS AGO FOR THE WARS WAS THE
TERROR THREAT THAT THE U.S.
FACED AS EVIDENCED BY 9/11.
20 YEARS LATER WHAT IS THAT
THREAT?
IS IT HIGHER THREAT LEVEL?
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
JUST TO BE CLEAR THERE WAS A
TERRORIST THREAT ON 9/11.
THE PROBLEM WASN'T WE SHOULDN'T
C REACTED AT ALL THE PROBLEM IS
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE OVERREACTED
THAT WE WOULD CREATE MORE
TERRORISTS THAN WE WERE KILLING.
AND IN THE EFFORT TO MAKE
OURSELVES SAFER.
NOW, TODAY, WE ARE STILL UNDER
AL-QAEDA WE HAVE TAKEN ITS BASES
OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.
WE'VE KILLED OSAMA BIN LADEN.
YES, WE DID KILL OSAMA BIN
LADEN.
SO IN THE SENSE OF AL-QAEDA,
AL-QAEDA IS A SHELL OF ITS
FORMER SELF.
BUT THE WAR ON TERROR INVADING
THOSE TWO COUNTRIES AND HARMING
SO MANY PEOPLE THAT STIRRED UP A
HORNET'S NEST OF THE TERRORISTS
WE HAVE TO BE AWARE GOING
FORWARD TERRORISM REMAINS A
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER.
OUR CHALLENGE IS NOT TO
OVERREACT AGAIN.
WE SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED POLICIES
THAT ARE NOW CALLED OVER THE
HORIZON, THAT IS RELIED ON
SELECTIVE USE OF AIR POWER, OUR
INTELLIGENCE OCCASIONAL USE OF
SPECIAL FORCES THAT IS WHAT GOT
BIN LADEN LADEN AND THAT IS THE
POLICY THAT DEFEATED ISIS.
WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING THAT
FROM THE BEGINNING.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS BEEN
TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYING THE
POLICIES.
THOMAS MOCKAITIS HOW HAS THE
TERROR THREAT CHANGED EXTERNALLY
AND INTERNALLY?
>> THE FIRST THING IS WE HAVE
MADE THE LIKELIHOOD OF A
CATASTROPHIC 9/11 STYLE ATTACK
MUCH HARDER TO PULL OFF.
I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT
AFGHANISTAN BEING A BASE FOR
TERRORISM THE DAY OF THE BIG
TRAINING CAMP IS OVER.
THEY WILL HIT US THE WAY THEY
DID IN PARIS AND THE PULSE
NIGHTCLUB AND JANUARY 6TH
RECOGNIZE THE DOMESTIC THREAT.
SMALL SCALE ATTACKS LONE WOLVES.
RIGHT NOW I CONTINUE MORE
CONCERNED ABOUT FAR RIGHT WHITE
SUPREMACIST GROUPS OPERATING
INSIDE THE UNITED STATES WITH AN
ANTIGOVERNMENT MILITIA SOVEREIGN
CITIZEN MENTALITY.
THE MAJOR ISIS SPLINTER CORRECT
THAN IS GOING TO BE SO BUSY
BATTLING THE TALIBAN THAT I
DON'T THINK IT POSES A SERIOUS
THREAT.
TERRORISM IS A PERSISTENT
PROBLEM NOT AN EXISTENTIAL
THREAT.
WE DON'T WANT TO BECOME AN ENEMY
TO OURSELVES OR NEIGHBORS BY
MAKING IT THE FOCUS OF OUR
ATTENTION.
>> HATEM ABUDAYYEH, IS
ISLAMOPHOBIA CURBED IN THE LAST
20 YEARS?
YOU MENTIONED WHAT HAPPENED
AFTER 9/11 IS IT BETTER NOW THAN
IT WAS THEN?
>> YES, I THINK IT'S BEEN
CONSISTENT AND REMEMBER THE
ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE ANTI-ARAB
REALLY ANTI-IMMIGRANT,
ANTIBLACK, ANTI-PEOPLE OF COLOR
SENTIMENT IS NOT JUST AN
INTERPERSONAL ATTACK IT IS NOT
JUST AN ISSUE OF HATE CRIMES
WHICH WE DID SEE AND SEE TO THIS
DAY.
IT'S REALLY AN ISSUE OF THE
POLICY.
AND THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS
PASSED AFTER SEPTEMBER 11th
TO REALLY BROADLY CRIMINALIZE
AND SCAPEGOAT THE ARAB
COMMUNITY.
THE THING I'M MOST CONCERNED
ABOUT IN ALL HONESTY IS THAT IT
IS THE UNITED STATES.
WE HAVE TO SAY AND WE HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE AND ADMIT AFTER ALL
THESE YEARS HAS ON SOME LEVEL
SUPPORTED THESE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THE U.S. SUPPORTED OSAMA BIN
LADEN'S FORCES WHICH EVENTUALLY
BECAME AL-QAEDA.
THEY SUPPORTED THE TALIBAN FOR
YEARS AND YEARS BECAUSE THE
TALIBAN AND BIN LADEN WERE
FIGHTING THE SOVIET UNION.
AND TO THIS DAY, TO THIS DAY WE
HAVE GOTTEN A QUOTE FROM
PRESIDENT BIDEN OUR BIGGEST
PROBLEM WAS OUR ALLIES.
THE STUDENTS AT THE HARVARD
KENNEDY SCHOOL.
THE SAUDIS WHAT WERE THEY DOING?
THEY WERE DETERMINED TO TAKE
DOWN SYRIAN PRESIDENTIAL ASSAD
AND HAVE A PROXY SUNNI WAR.
THEY --
[ALL TALKING AT ONCE]
>> WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
>> CERTAINLY TANGLED ALLIANCES
AND A LOT TO LOOK BACK ON AND
ANALYZE.
OUR THANKS TO THOMAS MOCKAITIS,