How Trump has failed to learn the lessons of the wars that followed 9/11
Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Since 9/11, US presidents have expanded their power, step by step, to wage war anywhere, anytime, as they please. With Operation Epic Fury in Iran, President Donald Trump reached a new peak in the war-making powers claimed by the US commander in chief. … The post How Trump has failed to learn the lessons of the wars that…
On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Donald Trump marked a significant escalation in the United States' war-making capabilities. Trump launched a war on Iran, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," without any congressional approval, NATO backing, or a UN resolution. This marked a new peak in the war-making powers claimed by the US commander in chief, eclipsing the actions of his predecessors.
The "war on terror" had been expanding since its inception following the 9/11 attacks, growing beyond the war in Afghanistan to include preventive wars, drone strikes, and interventions in countries like Libya. Despite the US military's operational successes, such as the effective hunt and killing of terrorists, the lack of clear strategy often led to quagmires, as seen in Vietnam and Iraq.
The absence of a well-defined "day after" plan for post-war scenarios was a recurring theme, leading to the rise of ISIS in Iraq and potential economic crises.
Post-9/11, American leaders failed to learn from past mistakes. The "preventive war" doctrine, initially proposed by George W. Bush, justified the invasion of Iraq, resulting in a civil war that claimed an estimated 200,000 Iraqi civilian lives. Obama's drone strike policy, while effective in killing terrorists, also resulted in a significant number of civilian casualties in countries like Pakistan and Yemen.
The overthrow of Gadhafi in Libya, without proper post-war planning, led to a decade-long civil war and a divided nation.
The United States' post-9/11 foreign policy was characterized by a lack of coherent strategies and plans for the aftermath of wars. This pattern was evident in the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban's takeover of the country. Despite some successes, such as the decimation of al Qaeda and the defeat of ISIS, the lack of planning for post-war scenarios consistently resulted in failure.
Trump's expansion of the war on terror to include Latin American drug cartel members further illustrated this pattern, echoing the successes and failures of previous administrations.
Written by urgent.news from Egypt Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
