Twenty-five years after 9/11(2001年9月11日恐怖袭击事件), the share of people with no direct recollection of the attacks is rising; just over 100m Americans, roughly a third of the population, were not alive at the time. Yet the counter-terror apparatus(机构体系；机器) that President George W. Bush and Congress enacted in response(作为回应)—hastily drafted legal authorities to wage war, surveillance powers, permissive(宽松的；放任的) CIA(美国中央情报局) operations and new bureaucracies(官僚机构)—remains largely in place, even as the threat of jihadist violence has receded(消退；减弱).
9·11事件过去二十五年后，对其毫无直接记忆的人越来越多；超过一亿美国人——约占全国人口的三分之一——当时尚未出生。然而，小布什总统与国会当年为应对袭击而建立的反恐机器——仓促起草的发动战争的法律授权、监控权力、对中情局行动的宽松许可，以及新设的官僚机构——至今基本原封不动，尽管圣战暴力的威胁早已消退。
Donald Trump’s adaptation of these powers may at last be seeding(播下种子；引发) a debate about correcting the overreach(越权；过度扩张). According to a new YouGov(英国知名民调机构) poll, 48% of Americans believe the expeditionary(远征的) wars and surveillance that followed 9/11 have been worth the cost. But only 37% of Democrats agree, compared with 71% of Republicans. Talk of reform is growing in some Democratic circles. “We have an opportunity to rein in(约束；控制) some of these authorities and remake agencies that have been abused,” says Dan Herman of the Centre for America Progress(美国进步中心，民主党倾向智库), a Democrat-aligned think-tank.
特朗普对这些权力的挪用，或许终于催生了一场关于纠正权力越界的辩论。YouGov最新民调显示，48%的美国人认为9·11后的远征战争与监控行动值得付出这些代价。但只有37%的民主党人认同，共和党人则高达71%。民主党内部要求改革的呼声正在上升。“我们有机会约束其中一些权力，并重塑那些被滥用的机构，”与民主党立场一致的智库美国进步中心的丹·赫尔曼说。
America’s counter-terror regime(体制；制度) arose initially with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans alike. When the hijacked planes hit the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, the nation braced(做好准备；绷紧) for further onslaughts(猛攻；冲击). Spooks(间谍；情报人员) fretted(焦虑；担忧) that al-Qaeda(基地组织) might use chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. Terrorism became the primary concern of voters.
美国的反恐体制最初是在民主党和共和党的一致压倒性支持下建立起来的。当被劫持的飞机撞上世界贸易中心和五角大楼时，全国上下都在为更多袭击做准备。情报人员担心基地组织可能使用化学、生物甚至核武器。恐怖主义成了选民最关心的问题。
