"A thoughtful and balanced assessment of border security and immigration policies before and after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 - engaging and urgent" - Publishers Weekly

On September 10, 2001, the United States was the most open country in the world.

But since the 9/11 attacks, the nation has been shutting its doors.

In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration's struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the worst attack on U.S. soil.

The goal was to build new lines of defense that could keep out terrorists without stifling the flow of people and ideas from abroad that have helped to build the world's most dynamic economy.

But instead, the government created an obstacle course that has made it vastly harder for people from across the world to come to the U.S., hurting America's image abroad and damaging its economic prospects at home.