From the rise of al-Qaida to the everyday realities of war in Iraq, PBS's new 11-part series "America at a Crossroads" (9 p.m. Sunday through April 20, WQED) views the post-Sept. 11 world from a multitude of vantage points.

Separate teams of journalists produced each of the documentaries. Collectively, the segments address the impact of the 2001 terrorist attacks "on the imagination, as well as on foreign and domestic issues," said series host Robert MacNeil. "My contention is that 9/11 was not only the biggest shock to the American psyche since Pearl Harbor, but probably bigger.

"We have spent billions of dollars all through the Cold War to make us safe," MacNeil said, "and then we were vulnerable right in the heart of our biggest city."

MacNeil said the series raises questions about American foreign policy and the war on terrorism.

"What do we do for our ground forces, stretched almost to the limit by Iraq and Afghanistan? ... How do we restore for the world the trust, the moral authority that many Americans and foreign friends believe we have lost since 9/11? ... Those are all on the signpost."

The programs include reports on national security, first-person accounts from U.S. troops on life in Iraq and the experience of Muslims in the United States and abroad. Pittsburgh native and Air Force Reserve Capt. Ed Hrivnak, currently a professional firefighter and registered nurse in Spanaway, Wash., is featured in the episode "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience," airing at 10 p.m. April 16.

MacNeil, who introduces and wraps up each program, also narrates the two-hour opening segment Sunday.

PBS is hosting screenings at college campuses and public libraries. The project's Web site (www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads) offers a discussion guide.

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