Post-Attack Policies: Analyzing the Magnitude of the U.S. and U.K. Domestic Security Changes Following the 9-11 Attacks and 2005 London Bombings

Abstract

The timing and similar nature of the September 11 attacks and the 2005 London bombings provides a unique opportunity to compare the policy changes undertaken by the U.S. and British governments following a large scale terrorist incident. Where the attacks of 9-11 were seen as a watershed event prompting a massive U.S. policy response, the significance of the 2005 London bombings and subsequent counter-terror policies implemented in Britain garnered a mixed reaction. To determine the true magnitude of the policy responses, the author analyzes the major enactments implemented in the U.S. and Great Britain during the two years immediately following the attacks. The author concludes that previous assumptions about the size of post 9-11 and post 7-7 changes generally hold true and suggests that Britain's changes made prior to the London bombings and the lack of political capitol for Prime Minister Blair in 2005 are the best explanations for the divergent responses.