In the mind of Vladimir Putin, 9/11/01 marked the day that triggered a chain of events that ended with Russia’s acceptance into the ranks of the West—but at a terrible cost to national pride and the balance of nuclear power. This program narrates the circumstances leading to President Putin’s bitter decision to trade U.S. approval of the war in Chechnya for what has proved to be a diminished role in world politics. Footage of Putin, George W. Bush, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo, and Djuma Namangani, military commander of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, is featured, along with gripping images of New York’s Ground Zero and Central Asian Islamist extremists in action. (50 minutes)