It has been 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001, when hijacked planes crashed into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Virginia, and a field in Pennsylvania. Close to 3,000 people died, from civilians going about their everyday work and travel, to law enforcement officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Sept. 11 became the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history. On the 25th anniversary of this day, UCLA experts can weigh in on a variety of topics as far as the historical, legal, societal, military, political, economic, and personal impacts, as well as the legacy of 9/11 for younger generations.
Modern Middle East history and politics
James Gelvin is a professor of history at UCLA and an expert on the social, cultural and political history of the modern Middle East. Gelvin, who is a member of the UCLA International Institute, is an expert on radical Islam, U.S.-Middle East relations, the Arab uprisings, and the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
He can comment on the history of terrorism, political violence and regional conflicts in the Middle East, as well as how factors like nationalism, religion and foreign policy shape modern cultural dynamics across the region.
Email: [email protected]
How 9/11 changed the U.S. treatment of immigrants
Ahilan Arulanantham is a professor and faculty co-director of the Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law, in addition to maintaining an active litigation practice. He has expertise in immigration law and litigation, and has argued four times before the Supreme Court. Since 2025, Arulanantham has litigated several federal cases challenging the Trump Administration's attempt to end the Temporary Protected Status program for more than one million people.
Arulanantham can discuss the ways immigrant treatment changed in the aftermath of 9/11. In this video, he links the post-9/11 creation of the Department of Homeland Security with the increased presence of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in U.S. cities. He also links 9/11 to an explosion in immigration detention centers, especially by private prison companies.
Email: [email protected]
Memes and social media: How young people engage with the 9/11 anniversary
Yalda T. Uhls is an adjunct professor of psychology and an expert on adolescents and their social media, entertainment and other content consumption habits and preferences. Uhls is founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, a nonprofit organization that connects developmental science with entertainment and media creation. A former senior executive at MGM and Sony Pictures, she now collaborates with studios, streaming platforms, and game companies to bring research-based insights into storytelling and youth-focused content.
She can speak to adolescents’ understanding of the 9/11 anniversary and how they have experienced its legacy online, including memes.
Email: [email protected]
International law, foreign policy and the Middle East
Benjamin Radd is a political scientist and lecturer in law and global studies, with expertise on U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East and Iran. He is a senior fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations at the UCLA International Institute, and a Research Fellow with the UCLA Center for Middle East Development.
He can comment on controversies surrounding the upcoming 9/11 commemoration and a wide variety of current events and topics.
Email: [email protected]
Global repercussions, the UN, and the laws of war
Raustiala is director of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and a professor of international law at UCLA Law School. His recent publications include “Who Gets a Nation?” in Noema in 2024, “Why the United Nations Still Matters,” in Foreign Affairs in 2023, and his book “Global Governance in a World of Change” in 2021.
He can speak to the global and geopolitical repercussions of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. Raustiala can also discuss the attacks’ impacts on the law of war and the role of the United Nations.
Email: [email protected]
