January, 2002

The United States after 11 September: Changes in Thought and Policy

Mahmoud Hamad

Since the establishment of the United States, two contradictory forces have coexisted, one underscoring the idea of freedoms and public rights, and the other focusing on the prerequisites of politics and security. Each historic period has given priority to one of these tendencies, and the shifts from one historic period to another are usually considered milestones in the course of US history.

In this framework, the events of 11 September constitute a real landmark in US history that has left an indisputable imprint on the structure of executive authority and on the balance between political institutions, specifically the White House and Congress. The events have also had an impact on the civil and political rights of American citizens and of Arab and Muslim residents.

In terms of internal policy, the events of 11 September led to a change in the framework of the executive authority in the area of internal security. This institutional change was represented in the establishment of a new department to handle internal security matters. US politicians and presidents have rejected the establishment of such a department for more than 125 years. Americans have always considered such departments as a sign of backwardness and a lack of democracy, and believed that the protection of freedoms in the United States did not need such entities. The shock of 11 September, however, has changed all this and led to the prioritisation of security prerequisites over those of freedom.

The attack also caused a political change in the balance between the White House and Congress in the area of foreign-policy making. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the rules of the game on the internal arena differ completely from those on the foreign level. The former are governed by the balance between the political powers of parties, interest groups, states and different constituencies as well as by considerations of institutional balance. However, when it comes to matters of international policy, the chief criterion is the national interest of the people.

An intellectual change can also be detected with regard to the civil rights of citizens and residents. After the collapse of the Soviet bloc, a theory emerged in the United States and the West as a whole that Islam was the real enemy that should be fought and conquered. In this context, the US administration began in the last century to set a group of laws that aim at eliminating what it calls Islamic terrorism. Among these rules was the law of secret evidence, according to which non-Americans could be condemned according to evidence to which they are not allowed access.

In the period before 11 September, there were moves to review these laws, which were considered to damage the image of the United States as a country of freedoms and institutions. Several drafts were submitted before Congress to refute the secret evidence law, and the preamble of the new law underscored that no resident should be deprived of his freedom or deported on the basis of secret evidence.

Yet the events of 11 September have left broad sectors of US public opinion and legislators in favour of restricting the freedoms of non-American residents, and especially Muslims and Arabs. The results include Congress issuing a law to combat terrorism and a presidential decree according to which suspects can be tried before military courts.

In conclusion, the events of 11 September have brought about a prioritisation of security prerequisites over guarantees of freedoms. The future of this shift, however, depends on changes in political conditions as well as the views of the elite and the general public.