Banks comments on President Bush's handling of 9/11 attacks in South China Morning Post

April 28, 2021

The South China Morning Post

William C. Banks

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Afghanistan

Foreign Policy

Terrorism & Extremism

U.S. National Security

United States

The South China Morning Post

William C. Banks

Former President George W. Bush’s foray into Afghanistan came back into focus last week, with President Joe Biden announcing he would withdraw all U.S. troops from the country by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. With a combined 6,800 Americans dead, along with hundreds of thousands of other fatalities, and trillions of dollars in U.S. spending, the toll of U.S. engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan has been staggering. "Bush and many others overreacted to 9/11," says Professor Emeritus William Banks. "I blame him and especially (vice-president) Dick Cheney and then (defense secretary) Donald Rumsfeld for the reckless policies," he says. But Bush was "never nativist," and his recent efforts on immigration are not a "whitewashing" of history but appear to be a genuine effort at problem-solving, Banks adds. Read more in the South China Morning Post article, "Former US president George W Bush resurfaces as immigration advocate against Republican tide."