On this day, September 11, 2001, a full quarter century ago, the world witnessed attacks against the United States of America. It was an event that took the world by surprise and threw it into confusion, given that it targeted the most powerful state in the world, and given the enormity of the attacks and the gravity of their human toll, which exceeded 2,753 dead.
A quarter century is of course no great span in the reckoning of history, but it is at the same time an important period in which to assess the world's record in the war on terror, a war that brought most of the world together despite differences in approach.
The first observation is that these attacks represent a pivotal date in the history of the world generally and of the Middle East in particular, coming roughly ten years after the Second Gulf War and the liberation of Kuwait.
Most likely, had those attacks not occurred, the world today would look very different in every respect. It is certain that the global situation would have been less tense, less violent, and less prone to wars. These were truly historic attacks in the sense that they transformed international policies and reshaped language, concepts, and attitudes, ultimately altering the world's geopolitical map. In other words, their repercussions have been profound, far-reaching, and continue to this day.
Today, a quarter century on, the question imposes itself: What have been the successes and the failures in this war on terror?
Before identifying those successes and failures, it is important to note that the war on terror, seen through a global experience spanning a quarter century, indicates that terrorism is a compound and complex phenomenon, and that genuinely putting an end to it means addressing its causes and cutting it off at the roots.
There is of course no doubt that being able to eliminate those who masterminded the attacks- whether Osama bin Laden in 2011 or, after him, Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022, along with others from al-Qaeda, an organization skilled at concealment- was an important step in this war, particularly as this achievement was reinforced by the dismantling of al-Qaeda's infrastructure, the destruction of its principal camps, and the crippling of its capacity to launch new attacks. Nor can one deny the US success in protecting the American home front from any possible attacks after those of September 11, 2001.
The world also carried out a deep change in the concept of global security during this war. Screening and surveillance procedures at airports and border crossings became extremely strict, which reduced the number of terrorist incidents worldwide after a period in which they had grown more frequent in a number of European, Arab, and Muslim capitals.
Yet despite the steps achieved- which we may classify as essentially security and military steps- we cannot speak of sustainable security having been attained in the world. For while al-Qaeda's dominance has effectively ended, more extreme organizations have been generated, such as ISIS, which left massacres behind it and sowed terror, particularly in Iraq and Syria, quite apart from the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan after the American withdrawal.
All of which explains that what has occurred is the rise of what are called the second and third generations of extremist organizations, classified as more brutal than those that preceded them.
Generally speaking, the problem does not lie in the outcomes of the war on terror themselves so much as in the extent to which the world has seriously and deeply addressed the underlying causes that give rise to terrorism and produce terrorists.
It is important to make clear that wars waged against multifaceted phenomena are more difficult and more complex than conventional wars between states.
The challenge becomes even greater when the phenomenon stems from a combination of civilizational, economic, cultural, and political causes. This is what makes the war on terror a unique kind of conflict, one that requires a wide range of strategies and mechanisms.
What deserves attention on an occasion such as this, one that concerns the entire world and not the United States alone, is that everyone has felt the repercussions of these attacks.
The prospects for success in the war on terror remain uncertain, particularly when viewed alongside the rise of racism around the world, the growing influence of right-wing parties, and the use of Islamophobia as a tool for deepening cultural, ethnic, and religious discrimination.
Poverty, unemployment, and the limited resilience of many countries in the face of climate change, and the economic and social fragility it leaves behind, likewise serve as invisible factories producing groups that experience exclusion, marginalization, and closed doors.
Added to this is Europe's policy of closing its cities to migrants while accepting only the skilled workers it needs. In other words, there are compelling signs of narrow-mindedness and rejection of the other, all of which create fertile ground for nurturing terrorism and extremism.
Therefore, on a day such as this, it may be worthwhile to view the war on terror from a new perspective, one capable of making a real difference and achieving lasting success.
