Assessing America’s Two-Decade Fight Against Global Islamist Terrorism

President George W. Bush’s Global War on Terror was presented as a worldwide effort to dismantle networks behind the September 11 attacks, costing an estimated $8 trillion and resulting in over 7,000 American fatalities and thousands of injuries. While the author acknowledges that al-Qaeda and ISIS have been largely contained and that regional adversaries such as Iran and Hezbollah have lost much of their leverage, he points to a growing domestic presence of extremist rhetoric among certain political figures and on university campuses.

Incidents cited include a commentator’s claim that America “deserved 9/11,” the firing of a professor for controversial remarks, and attacks on Jewish students. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show hundreds of watch-list individuals attempting illegal border crossings, with many released and some still unaccounted for. The analysis also notes demographic growth in the U.S. Muslim population and concerns about radicalization in specific neighborhoods. Finally, the piece observes that Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has moved closer to the U.S.-Israel camp, while Russia and China’s roles in the region have diminished.