Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: On 9/11, it became clear to the US public that a war was upon them, and that they had been the targets of its first salvo. Framed as a ‘sneak attack’ from outside enemies who despise US culture and liberty, the 9/11 attacks soon mirrored Pearl Harbor in both its circumstances and its importance. When, as US Senator John McCain said that day, “everybody is talking about a second Pearl Harbor,” the proverbial train to retaliation and war had already left the station. I argue that the coming together of collective memory along with public opinion helped to profoundly shape the analysis and importance of 9/11, and to view that event as an act of war.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper examines the controversy over the Arizona 9/11 Memorial using a critical perspective informed by Jungian depth analysis. The author argues that the memorial itself and subsequent controversy are symptomatic of tension within the American psyche between irreconcilable views of reality. Jung’s concepts of the anima and animus, shadow and persona are used as a matrix within which to view the memorial as a mandala that reflects the American psyche itself, causing discord when viewers are exposed to psychic content that seeks repression. Through this analysis, the author seeks to interrogate the hidden contents of the American collective consciousness to show that the memorial may serve as a site of Jungian identification, or assimilation of competing aspects of the psyche into a unified whole.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In this paper I will argue that over the past decade (specifically, since 1991), NATO has experienced a number of issues that deeply divided the Alliance. Initially, September 11 brought the NATO nations together in pursuit of a common threat (terrorism) once again. Despite the plethora of articles and op-ed pieces that have already been written about what September 11 means for NATO, it is far too soon to really know what the long-term impact will be.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Recent works on agenda setting claim that new participants gain access to the policy-making process through image and discourse manipulation and by seeking to find institutions amenable to their suggestions. This paper examines the role of the public good in the economic and physical rebuilding of Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center (WTC) site following the 9/11 attacks. In particular, it examines (1) the way members of the public seek to have their conceptions of the public good incorporated into public policy and; (2) the extent to which rebuilding institutions embrace or marginalize those alternatives at various decision-making points. Special attention will be paid to the role of interagency conflict as a factor affecting whether a group and its particular conception of the public good is influential. This study is based on qualitative research conducted over a 27-month period. It examines public documents, field notes from rebuilding institution and stakeholder meetings, media coverage, and interviews with key stakeholders and decision-makers.

Publication Type: Proceeding
Abstract: One of the most enduring themes in American political discourse is the idea of decline. Since the very beginnings of the European settlement of North America there have been voices pointing to an inevitable regression of the people from the standards set by heroic ancestors. This discourse of declension has often taken the form of the jeremiad in which religious and political leaders, as well as public intellectuals, point to the causes of decline and call for a return to older and more noble standards of conduct. In its modern form in America however, the jeremiad has other purposes. The modern jeremiad, especially in its post 9/11 form, is used to reassure the true believer that their conduct is unblemished and that the sources of national decline lie in the unsavory, irreligious and unpatriotic actions of others (both foreign and domestic). This reaction can be seen in statements by religious leaders such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. It can also be seen in the writings of secular authors such as Victor Davis Hanson and Patrick Buchanan. In this paper, I will examine the question of how 9/11 and the events that followed have been used to ratify a certain vision of American decline. I will identify where these authors place the sources of decline and their purposed solutions. My analysis also reveals the central problem faced by this form of writing: the need to balance condemnation of certain practices within the democratic polity with calls for repentance. For these writers, the tensions created by these demands prove impossible to resolve.