Power and crisis: Bush’s war on terror, democratic rollback and the four dimensions of power

Ironically, the mastermind behind 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, vowed to destroy the United States, and the executive branch of American government proved to be his accomplice in bringing this about with respect to American democracy. After the attack George W. Bush went well beyond constitutional constraints in statute and spirit in perpetrating his war on terror. American democracy recoils from the authoritarian machinations. This article tries to explain the power dynamics behind his political coup. It will evaluate how Bush subverted democracy in the US after the 9/11 crisis. It does so by casting light on how Bush employed levers of influence across the four principal dimensions or faces of power to implement his war on terror.