Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United States' subsequent "War on Terror" is being re-examined, with critics arguing it has yielded limited success beyond preventing another major attack on U.S. soil. The immense financial and human cost, estimated at $6 trillion for the U.S., has been met with a proliferation of Islamist terrorism and a tarnished international reputation.
On the day of the attacks, then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed immediate solidarity with the United States, a sentiment echoed globally, leading to the invocation of NATO's Article 5 for the first and only time. However, this initial goodwill, the article contends, was squandered by a broad "war on terror" that expanded far beyond its initial objectives.
The swift success of the U.S.-led assault on Afghanistan, which dismantled Al Qaeda's training camps and ousted the Taliban, was followed by the controversial decision to invade Iraq in 2003. This invasion, launched on the premise of Saddam Hussein's links to Al Qaeda and possession of weapons of mass destruction, is now widely viewed as a critical misstep. Critics argue Hussein had no connection to 9/11 and no WMDs, and the invasion instead created a power vacuum that fueled a bloody insurgency and became a crucible for a new generation of Islamist terrorists.
The ensuing years saw a string of interventions and conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa, including in Libya and Syria, with outcomes described as "shambles." Al Qaeda's offshoot, the Islamic State, emerged from the chaos in Iraq, prompting further international military action. Meanwhile, the Taliban regrouped and eventually retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal, a chaotic exit that reportedly damaged President Joe Biden's reputation.
Each subsequent U.S. administration, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump, has grappled with the ongoing "war on terror," with varying approaches but no definitive end. Trump's focus on drone strikes and special operations, and his administration's confrontational stance toward Iran, suggest the broader conflict remains a defining element of U.S. foreign policy.
Despite the immense expenditure and loss of life, the article highlights that the primary achievement has been the absence of another 9/11-scale attack on U.S. soil. Osama bin Laden and his successor were eventually killed, and Al Qaeda's pre-9/11 infrastructure was destroyed. However, Al Qaeda has evolved into a global franchise with significant capabilities, operating in numerous countries and posing a renewed threat. Intelligence experts fear that new terrorist cells may have already been established within the United States.
The article concludes that 25 years on, the fight against terrorism continues, with new iterations of extremist groups emerging and operating with significant resources and secure bases. The initial success of confronting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan has, according to the assessment, ultimately led to a more complex and dangerous global landscape.