What Changed When Everything Changed: 9/11 and the Making of National Identity

In this provocative study, Margulies (Guantanamo And The Abuse of Presidential Power) looks at the factors contributing to the creation and evolution of American national identity, and how the events of 9/11 altered it. He focuses on the so-called American Creed, which boils down to "liberty, equality, limited government, the rule of law, and the dignity of the individual...within a commitment to civic virtue." As he shows, the Creed remains intact even as popular opinion, government execution, and methodology change. He dissects the Presidential tenures of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, examining the flaws and strengths of each approach to factors such as Islam, torture, and the punitive turn. While the narrative has a dry, academic tone, Margulies's uncompromising focus reveals a fascinating, if liberally-biased, tale of an America that has always been at odds with its own stated nature. As Margulies puts it, "our ideals have not changed....We change only what these words represent...It is how we make and remake our national identity." It is dense reading and his conclusions will spark debate, but it's an important text for understanding how and why America has changed in the past decade. (June)