Professor David Rothkopf explores how public diplomacy changed in aftermath of the September 11th attacks in 2001.

When the Twin Towers collapsed, so too did many of our assumptions about America herself. All that the West held as self-evident about the States - her position as the world's supreme power, her national security, her place as the seat of freedom and democracy - was thrown in doubt.

Professor Rothkopf looks at the resulting sea-change in diplomatic relations and methods. He hears from Tony Blair, soldier-turned-MP Rory Stewart and former US Under Secretary of State Charlotte Beers, among others, to gain a better understanding of where the practice of diplomacy went wrong in the run up to 9/11.

He asks what lessons we need to learn from the methods of the past 30 years of diplomatic endeavour - and what new lessons we need to take on board for the future.

A Kati Whitaker production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. Show less