25 years on, the Middle East is still trapped in a post-9/11 world

As the world commemorates the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Middle East continues to grapple with the enduring impact of those events. The 9/11 attacks exposed the global reach of non-state actors, leading to a war on terror that initially weakened Al Qaeda but ultimately allowed extremist organizations to proliferate across Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and beyond. Regional powers, notably Iran, intensified their efforts to bolster networks of such groups.

While superpowers possess formidable strength, the 9/11 attacks demonstrated that even they are vulnerable to attacks, both at home and abroad. The United States and Israel decapitated Iran's leadership and dominated its airspace, yet they have failed to protect American bases, allies, or Tehran from their influence. The dynamics of asymmetric warfare and evolving weaponry have disrupted traditional power structures, complicating the international order.

The US response to 9/11, driven by "rage before reason," exemplifies the dangers of hastily engaging in war without a clear post-war strategy. The American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, while initially successful, ultimately proved strategic failures, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, substantial US casualties, and the rise of Iran's influence in Iraq.

The wars in the Middle East have left the region in a state of perpetual conflict rather than achieving a stable, thoughtfully constructed order.

The ongoing Iran conflict is partly a consequence of the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The removal of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Taliban from power inadvertently enabled Iran to exert its dominance, establishing it as the primary strategic victor in Iraq. Iran's proxies now control four Arab capitals and project power into Palestine. The current war in the Middle East can be seen as an attempt to rectify the strategic damage inflicted by the previous conflicts.

The 9/11 attacks were intended by their perpetrators to undermine the US, but they inadvertently led to a reconfiguration of the Middle East in Iran's favor. Iran's influence is now evident through its proxies dominating key regions and projecting power into Palestine. In this context, the current war in the Middle East can be perceived as an effort to undo the strategic setbacks of the previous two wars.