← Unit 2: Change and conflict (The changing world order, 1945 onwards)
How did 9/11 reshape global politics?
Analyse the rise of transnational terrorism and the post-9/11 global response, including the September 11 attacks (2001), the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021), the Iraq War (2003), and the rise of Islamic State (2014-2019)
A focused answer to the VCE Modern History Unit 2 key knowledge point on 21st-century terrorism. The September 11 attacks (2001), the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021), the Iraq War (2003-2011), Abu Ghraib, the rise of Islamic State (2014-2019), and the geopolitical consequences for the US-led international order.
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What this dot point is asking
VCAA wants you to analyse the role of transnational terrorism in 21st-century global politics, the post-9/11 US-led response, and the longer-term consequences.
The September 11 attacks (2001)
Al-Qaeda. Founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988. Based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection from 1996.
The attacks (11 September 2001). Nineteen al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger aircraft. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Flight 175 flew into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre in New York; American Flight 77 into the Pentagon; United Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passenger revolt.
Casualties. killed (in addition to the hijackers). The bloodiest foreign attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor.
Bush response. Declared a "War on Terror" (20 September 2001). NATO invoked Article 5 (collective defence) for the first time.
Afghanistan War (2001-2021)
US invasion (October 2001). Operation Enduring Freedom. Taliban government collapsed within weeks. Hamid Karzai installed as interim leader.
Twenty years of insurgency. Taliban regrouped after 2003. Insurgency intensified. Civilian casualties high. US troop surge under Obama (2009).
Death of bin Laden. US Navy SEAL raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan (2 May 2011).
Withdrawal. Trump-era Doha Agreement with Taliban (February 2020). Biden completed withdrawal (August 2021); Taliban retook Kabul within days. Twenty years; US dead; estimated Afghan deaths.
Australian involvement. Australians killed; about deployed.
Iraq War (2003-2011)
Justification. Bush administration alleged Iraqi WMD and links to al-Qaeda. Neither claim was substantiated.
Invasion (20 March 2003). "Coalition of the willing" including the US, UK and Australia. Baghdad fell within three weeks.
Occupation and insurgency. L. Paul Bremer's de-Baathification and dissolution of the Iraqi army (May 2003) created conditions for insurgency. Sunni, Shia and sectarian civil war from 2006.
Abu Ghraib (2004). Photographs of US military personnel abusing Iraqi prisoners exposed publicly. Severe damage to US moral standing.
Iraqi casualties. Estimates range from to over million Iraqi deaths.
Withdrawal. US combat operations formally ended August 2010; final withdrawal December 2011.
Rise and fall of Islamic State (2014-2019)
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) emerged from disaffected former Iraqi Baathists and al-Qaeda affiliates. Exploited the Syrian civil war (from 2011) and Iraqi sectarian tensions.
Caliphate declared (June 2014). Controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria including Mosul and Raqqa. Sophisticated propaganda; terrorist attacks in Europe (Paris November 2015, Brussels March 2016, Nice July 2016).
Defeated. US-led coalition with Iraqi Army, Kurdish forces, and Iranian-backed militias. Mosul liberated (July 2017). Raqqa fell (October 2017). Last territory lost (March 2019). Bin Laden's successor as the world's most wanted, Baghdadi, killed (October 2019).
Lasting consequences
Wars cost the US an estimated - trillion dollars. Civilian deaths in the millions across the Middle East. Refugee flows reshaped European politics.
The "unipolar moment" of unchallenged US dominance after 1991 effectively ended. China's rise (especially after 2008) and Russia's reassertion (Crimea 2014, Ukraine 2022) operated against a US weakened by Middle East engagements.
In one sentence
The September 11 attacks (2001) reshaped global politics by triggering the War on Terror, two protracted US-led wars (Afghanistan 2001-2021, Iraq 2003-2011), the erosion of civil liberties at home and the international rules-based order abroad (Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib), and the long-term destabilisation of the Middle East that produced Islamic State (2014-2019); the unipolar moment of US dominance effectively ended.
Past exam questions, worked
Real questions from past VCAA papers on this dot point, with our answer explainer.
Year 11 SACEvaluate the impact of the September 11 attacks (2001) on global politics.Show worked answer →
A Year 11 response.
Thesis. The September 11 attacks (2001) reshaped global politics by triggering the US-led War on Terror, two protracted wars (Afghanistan 2001-2021, Iraq 2003-2011), the erosion of civil liberties in Western democracies (PATRIOT Act 2001, Guantanamo), and the long-term destabilisation of the Middle East that contributed to the rise of Islamic State (2014).
Body 1: The attacks. 11 September 2001. Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger aircraft. Two flew into the World Trade Centre towers in New York; one into the Pentagon; one crashed in Pennsylvania after passenger revolt. killed (excluding the hijackers).
Body 2: Immediate response. US invasion of Afghanistan (October 2001) toppled the Taliban government that had hosted al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden eventually killed in Pakistan (May 2011). Australia and other allies committed troops. The PATRIOT Act (October 2001) expanded surveillance.
Body 3: Iraq War (2003-2011). Bush administration alleged Iraqi WMD and links to al-Qaeda (neither stood up). Invasion (March 2003) toppled Saddam Hussein. Insurgency, sectarian civil war, + Iraqi deaths. Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse (2004) damaged American moral standing. Withdrawal completed 2011.
Conclusion. The post-9/11 wars cost trillions, killed hundreds of thousands, eroded the rules-based order, and arguably created the conditions for Islamic State (2014). The "unipolar moment" of US dominance after 1991 ended.
Markers reward dated events, casualty figures, and the unipolar-moment-ending argument.
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