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Teaching the 9/11 Commission Report
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DRAFT
Teaching the 9/11 Report
Glenn Hastedt
James Madison University
On November 27, 2002, more than a year after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush and Congress created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (Public Law 107-306). The Commission received testimony from 160 witnesses and held 12 public hearings. It was given a deadline of May 27, 2004 to complete its work but successfully lobbied to extend its life until late July 2004.
The Commission’s report is one of the most noteworthy studies of American
foreign policy of recent times. Written against the backdrop of the 9/11 terrorist attack, the subsequent wars against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the occupation of Iraq, the Report’s pages provide a wealth of insight into the conduct of American foreign policy in a time of unexpected and growing turbulence. Prior to that day there was no indication that a sea-change in American foreign policy was about to take place. If anything the thrust of the Bush administration’s foreign policy was one of shedding commitments rather than embracing a new global mission. The report is both forward looking and reflective, and examines policy as well as process. It is not, however, a definitive study of the origins of the war on terrorism or how to defend the American homeland. Gaps exist in its coverage of events and personalities. And its recommendations have not been universally endorsed.
For all of these reasons, the 9/11 Report provides us with an excellent vehicle to
engage students in a study of American foreign policy and international relations. What follows can be viewed as either a free standing course or a series of modules that can be integrated into ongoing courses. Beyond helping students become conversant with the 9/11 Report in whole or in part, the underlying pedagogical objective is to help students develop their critical think skills, ability to present material orally and in various written formats, and to promote active learning. While learning objectives are specified in each section, the ultimate measure of success is the ability of students to apply the skills and insights they have honed in studying the 9/11 Commission Report to future foreign policy events. Core Texts: Three different texts are available to use in teaching about the 9/11 Commission Report. The 9/11 Investigations (New York: Public Affairs, 2004). Edited by Steven Strasser this volume contains Staff Reports of the 9/11 Commission, excerpts from the House-Senate Joint Inquiry Report on 9/11, testimony from 14 witnesses before the Commission including Richard Clarke, Condoleezza Rice, George Tenet, and Donald Rumsfeld, and copies of the President’s Daily Brief from August 6, 2001 and .the “Phoenix Memo” from the FBI of July 10, 2001. Cited as The 9/11 Investigations
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DRAFT
Teaching the 9/11 Report
Glenn Hastedt
James Madison University
On November 27, 2002, more than a year after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, President George W. Bush and Congress created the National Commission on
Terrorist Attacks on the United States (Public Law 107-306). The Commission received
testimony from 160 witnesses and held 12 public hearings. It was given a deadline of
May 27, 2004 to complete its work but successfully lobbied to extend its life until late
July 2004.
The Commission’s report is one of the most noteworthy studies of American
foreign policy of recent times. Written against the backdrop of the 9/11 terrorist attack,
the subsequent wars against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the occupation of
Iraq, the Report’s pages provide a wealth of insight into the conduct of American foreign
policy in a time of unexpected and growing turbulence. Prior to that day there was no
indication that a sea-change in American foreign policy was about to take place. If
anything the thrust of the Bush administration’s foreign policy was one of shedding
commitments rather than embracing a new global mission. The report is both forward
looking and reflective, and examines policy as well as process. It is not, however, a
definitive study of the origins of the war on terrorism or how to defend the American
homeland. Gaps exist in its coverage of events and personalities. And its
recommendations have not been universally endorsed.
For all of these reasons, the 9/11 Report provides us with an excellent vehicle to
engage students in a study of American foreign policy and international relations. What
follows can be viewed as either a free standing course or a series of modules that can be
integrated into ongoing courses. Beyond helping students become conversant with the
9/11 Report in whole or in part, the underlying pedagogical objective is to help students
develop their critical think skills, ability to present material orally and in various written
formats, and to promote active learning. While learning objectives are specified in each
section, the ultimate measure of success is the ability of students to apply the skills and
insights they have honed in studying the 9/11 Commission Report to future foreign policy
events.
Core Texts: Three different texts are available to use in teaching about the 9/11
Commission Report.
The 9/11 Investigations (New York: Public Affairs, 2004). Edited by Steven Strasser
this volume contains Staff Reports of the 9/11 Commission, excerpts from the House-
Senate Joint Inquiry Report on 9/11, testimony from 14 witnesses before the Commission
including Richard Clarke, Condoleezza Rice, George Tenet, and Donald Rumsfeld, and
copies of the President’s Daily Brief from August 6, 2001 and .the “Phoenix Memo”
from the FBI of July 10, 2001. Cited as The 9/11 Investigations
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