09/12/2011
What has counter-terrorism cost?
On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, some people are asking if the plotters succeeded in crippling the U.S. economy. The U.S. government has gone from a huge budget surplus to record deficits, as the nation spent more than $3 trillion in the "war on terror." Others say the effort to keep us safe was well worth the cost.
■Class discussion: Are we safer now than we were in 2001? Did the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq make us safer? Where would you have spent the money? Can a nation be strong with a weak economy? Can any effort completely stop terrorist attacks?