How the post-9/11 security agenda paved the way for Trump’s victory
The article argues that the cultural and political shifts triggered by the War on Terror created conditions that helped Donald Trump win the presidency.
The piece contends that the War on Terror reshaped American politics by blurring the line between war and peace and embedding emergency measures into everyday governance. It cites philosophers Slavoj Žižek and Henry Giroux to describe a new era of walls, surveillance and “culture of cruelty.” The author connects Bush’s exploitation of terror fears, the expansion of drone warfare and massive war spending—estimated at trillions—to long-term economic decline, especially in deindustrialized regions.
This economic malaise, combined with rising white ethnocentrism, set the stage for Donald Trump’s appeal to “forgotten” voters. Trump’s campaign capitalized on themes of national humiliation, perceived military weakness and anti-Islamic sentiment, echoing the security narrative forged after 9/11. The analysis warns that the entrenched security apparatus could be turned against political opponents under Trump’s leadership.
