Will the lessons from 9/11 finally be learned, 25 years on?

Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the US. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of either CGTN or Robert Morris University.

The 9/11 attacks in 2001 were a tragedy that resulted in a staggering loss of life. What has followed over 25 years is a tragic tale of bad planning, strident actions, flawed diplomacy, lingering hate and a chronically unstable Middle East.

Soon after September 11, 2001, came more chaos and more fear and more death, as the US began wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then president of the United States George W. Bush was adamant that the "war on terror," a nebulous term no matter how much he or any other political official sought to explain and justify it, was a noble and necessary undertaking because evil existed in specific pockets of the world and it sought the demise of the Western way of life.  

One influential cable news organization happily supported him, as it banged the war drum and reminded public officials that they risked being labeled un-American or disloyal if they did not line up with the president.  

American public opinion told a different story. According to research from Gallup, 25 years ago, about 25% of Americans criticized the choice to go to war in Iraq and roughly 10% felt the same about Afghanistan. Now? About 50% of Americans say the war in Iraq was a mistake and roughly 42% feel the same about the Afghanistan war.

The US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan scarred the people in those nations. Other conflicts that included US or Western forces added more misery across the globe. According to the influential Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University, between 2001 and 2023, approximately 940,000 people died in Iraq, Afghanistan and nearby states also consumed by war, and roughly half of those victims were innocent civilians.  

Moreover, as the School notes, "The number of people wounded or ill as a result of the conflicts is far higher, as is the number of civilians who died 'indirectly,' as a result of wars' destruction of economies, healthcare systems, infrastructure and the environment."

Would the narrative be different if the US could say that it achieved what it wanted? Perhaps, but unfortunately, Washington cannot say that. And it never will be able to claim success. So, ultimately, what did those military efforts bring about?  

The “war on terror” was not won on the battlefield or in the hearts and minds of people in any country, including the US. And the ramifications of those fateful choices continue to resonate in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

America's international standing is in tatters. The absence of reasonable diplomacy adds yet another layer of failure. Mistake compounds mistake. 

It took eight years for the US military to exit Iraq and 20 for the same to happen in Afghanistan. And now a new multi-year war has unfolded between Israel and Hamas.  In unleashing their retaliatory fury, the Israelis took pages from the handbook used by the West during the preceding two decades: attack, occupy, kill and destroy critical infrastructure. That did not work for the US and has not for Israel.  

Thus, the wars launched in the aftermath of that terrible Tuesday in 2001 have made the Middle East and the world weaker. The "war on terror" did not eliminate the hate that non-state actors and private citizens felt for the US and its allies; the hostility remains front and center in many places.  

Meanwhile, as tensions involving the United States and Iran, stemming from yet another war that began earlier this year, continue to affect the wider region, the conflict has drawn in other countries. Concerns over the security of strategic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz further highlight the fragility of the regional security environment. However, "strategic interests" – read access to oil – cripple Washington's ability to think differently.

America's suffering from the conflict with Iran is measured in higher prices for oil and a continued unsteady economy. Iran's suffering is measured by how many people die in the next so-called precision bombing. Can this misguided plan change? Is there any reason to think the next 25 years will allow for the writing of a positive story?  

It seems foolhardy to offer any opinion and claim it carries guarantees, but perhaps this is the place to start from: Western policy vis-a-vis the Middle East must be altered in the coming years. The term "pivot" generates much conversation and angst in the halls of power; it connotes a change in the identification of the primary enemy. Yet, because the US insists it will pivot its attention to East Asia, there just might be a narrow enough opening to rethink the strident approach to the Middle East.

Of course, should the next generation of leaders maintain the tired strategic planning that has not worked for decades, the chances to foster stability will remain nil. If a military-first attitude continues to top the agenda, the chances to alter public opinion are doomed. If diplomacy is viewed solely through the lens of protecting "vital" interests and friends, then a new story cannot be crafted.

Therefore, as Americans reflect this weekend on the lessons of that tragic Tuesday morning from 25 years ago, they must not ignore the decisions made in Washington that altered America's image across the globe and led to two decades of carnage.

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