On September 10, 2001, the United States stood at the height of its power.

Twenty-five years later, what happened to the American moment?

In this special 25th-anniversary episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni sits down with historian and political scientist Professor Roy Casagranda for a sweeping — and at times fiercely provocative — conversation about America before 9/11, the choices it made afterwards, and the world those decisions helped create.

Was the invasion of Iraq the great strategic mistake of the post-9/11 era?

Did two decades of war give China the time and strategic space it needed to catch up with the United States?

How did Washington’s relationship with Vladimir Putin unravel?

And is Donald Trump dismantling the post-9/11 order — or is he ultimately a product of it?

From George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin to George W. Bush, Iraq, Afghanistan, Putin, China, Trump, Iran and the remilitarisation of Germany, Casagranda challenges conventional accounts of the last quarter-century of American power.

Some of his arguments are deliberately contentious. That is precisely the point of this conversation: challenge the assumption, test the argument, and examine the consequences.

Twenty-five years after the attacks that changed America and the world, one question hangs over the entire discussion:

DID THE UNITED STATES USE ITS EXTRAORDINARY POWER WISELY AFTER 9/11 — AND IF NOT, CAN IT RECOVER WHAT IT LOST?

ABOUT PROFESSOR ROY CASAGRANDA

Roy Casagranda is a Professor of Government, political scientist, historian, public lecturer and commentator on Middle Eastern affairs.

He is widely known for his interdisciplinary approach, combining history, politics, economics, philosophy and culture to explain contemporary global events.

He is also a Golden Narrative Laureate and a regular commentator on international affairs.

ROY'S WORK

BOOKS

• The Blood Throne of Caria
• Empire of the Nightingale

CURRENT LECTURE SERIES

Sessions from the Past — Museum of the Future, Dubai (2025–2026)

Including:

• The 1000-Year Legacy of Ibn Sina
• The Roman Republic
• The Great Library of Alexandria
• The Reconquista
• Modern Ideologies and Political Thought

FOLLOW PROFESSOR ROY CASAGRANDA

YouTube:
Dr. Roy Casagranda YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@DrRoyCasagranda

Apple Podcasts:
Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/dr-roy-casagranda-podcast/id1837193563

X / Twitter:
@RoyCasagranda

Facebook:
Roy Casagranda Books & Lectures
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6157983973489