911

3. The intelligence state has mushroomed We have more government intrusion in our lives post-9/11, from more restrictive air travel regulations to increased phone and Internet activity surveillance. Intelligence budgets have skyrocketed, to the $52.6 billion in 2013. (Pictured: the National Security Agency headquarters at Fort Meade, Md.)

After the 2001 attacks, the George W. Bush administration moved quickly into Afghanistan in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the fight against the Taliban. Claiming a link to weapons of mass destruction, it committed the Pentagon to Iraq. The two long wars have sapped America’s appetite for military action, reflected in polls showing nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose even limited military efforts in Syria.

After the 2001 attacks, the George W. Bush administration moved quickly into Afghanistan in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the fight against the Taliban. Claiming a link to weapons of mass destruction, it committed the Pentagon to Iraq. The two long wars have sapped America’s appetite for military action, reflected in polls showing nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose even limited military efforts in Syria.