9/11 at 25: Has the US learned anything from its 'war on terror'?

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the United States has not learned the lessons necessary to effectively address the war on terror. Despite nearly 3,000 deaths on that fateful day, the U.S. government chose a path that focused on military action and surveillance at home, rather than addressing the root causes of the attacks. This approach led to a series of costly and failed interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, which ultimately strengthened extremist groups and undermined U.S. interests in the region.

The U.S. foreign policy establishment maintained a convenient narrative that blamed the attacks on the perceived freedoms of the American way of life, rather than examining its own actions in the Middle East. This mindset allowed for the expansion of the war on terror, which included wars, invasions, occupations, torture, and mass surveillance. At home, the Patriot Act and other legislation further eroded civil liberties, as well as racial and religious profiling, informant involvement, and entrapment operations.

Despite the vast resources spent on the war on terror, the United States has not achieved its political objectives. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, the displacement of millions, and the unleashing of sectarianism. Additionally, the U.S. has failed to address the underlying conditions that give rise to political violence, such as the support for dictatorships, sanctions, and military interventions in the Muslim-majority world.

As a result, the U.S. has become a fading superpower with no clear understanding of how to navigate the complexities of the modern world. The unipolar moment that followed the fall of the Soviet Union has been squandered, and the rise of China and other regional powers has challenged American dominance. The philosophical foundations of American global leadership, which once included ideas like democracy and human rights, have been tarnished by the contradictions between those ideals and the actual practices of the U.S. government.

In conclusion, the U.S. has not learned any valuable lessons from the war on terror over the past 25 years. The consequences of its actions have been devastating, both at home and abroad, and the country continues to operate under the misguided belief that military force and surveillance can solve complex political problems. To move forward, the U.S. must reevaluate its approach to global power and begin addressing the root causes of conflict, rather than simply projecting its own power and ideology.