Did Anyone Win the ‘Global War on Terror’?

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Chris,
Melanie, and Zack discuss Daniel Byman’s article in the current
issue of Foreign Affairs, “The Good Enough Doctrine: Learning to
Live with Terrorism.” Byman surveys the various aspects of the
“Global War on Terror” and concludes that, on balance, the United
States and others have achieved a level of effort that is both
strategically and politically feasible. But can we actually
tolerate some level of risk from terrorism in the same way that
we tolerate other dangers, from pandemics to severe weather
events, or will political leaders always resort to maximalist
promises to eliminate terrorism permanently? Was it inevitable
that the Global War on Terror would amplify xenophobia and
nativism, and what else can we learn from the efforts of the past
20 years? Grievances for critics of the "Blob,” special scorn for
Sen. Chris Murphy, and "attapeople" to U.S. military personnel
for their enormous sacrifices in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and
to those civilians who are now helping to resettle Afghan
refugees, as well as those displaced from other disasters.


 


Daniel Byman’s “The Good Enough Doctrine: Learning to Live with
Terrorism,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2021,
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2021-08-24/good-enough-doctrine


Richard Stevenson, “Bush Faults Kerry on Terrorism Remarks,” New
York Times, Oct. 12, 2004,
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/politics/campaign/bush-faults-kerry-on-terrorism-remarks.html


Christopher Preble, “We Are Terrorized: Why US Counterterrorism
Policy Is Failing, and Why It Can’t Be Easily Fixed,” War on the
Rocks, Jan. 8,
2016, https://warontherocks.com/2016/01/we-are-terrorized-why-u-s-counterterrorism-policy-is-failing-and-why-it-cant-be-easily-fixed/


Bill McCarthy, “Charlie Kirk baselessly claims Biden
intentionally let Afghanistan fall to alter US population,”
Politifact, Aug. 19, 2021,
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/aug/19/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-baselessly-claims-biden-intentionally/


Jordan Mendoza, “Want to donate or volunteer to assist those
affected by Hurricane Ida? Here's how to help,” USA Today, Aug.
30, 2021,
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/30/hurricane-ida-help-storm-victims-louisiana-mississippi/5648004001/


“How to Help Afghan Refugees and the Relief Effort,” New York
Times, Aug. 20, 2021,
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/world/asia/how-to-help-afghanistan-refugees.html


“Future Foreign Policy series: Congress and AUMF repeal,” New
American Engagement Initiative, Atlantic Council, Sept. 16, 2021,
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/future-foreign-policy-congress-and-aumf-repeal/


Tanisha M. Fazal, "The Case for Complacency," Foreign Affairs,
September/October
2021, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2021-08-24/case-complacency.


Joe Biden, "Remarks on the End of the War in Afghanistan," The
White House, Aug. 31, 2021,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/08/31/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-end-of-the-war-in-afghanistan/.


Darren Lim, Zack Cooper, and Ashley Feng, “Trust and Diversify: A
Geoeconomic Strategy for the Australia-US Alliance,” US Studies
Centre, Sept. 2, 2021,
https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/trust-and-diversify-a-geoeconomic-strategy-for-the-australia-us-alliance.


Susanna Patton and Ashley Townshend, “Kamala Harris's Asia Trip
Can't Fix Biden's Troubled Indo-Pacific Strategy,” Foreign
Policy, Aug. 24, 2021,
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/24/kamala-harris-singapore-vietnam-southeast-asia-trip-biden-indo-pacific-strategy/.


Elliot Ackerman, “What the War on Terror Cost America,” Foreign
Affairs, Aug. 27, 2021,
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2021-08-24/winning-ugly.


Michael McKinley, “We All Lost Afghanistan,” Foreign Affairs,
Aug. 16, 2021,
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2021-08-16/we-all-lost-afghanistan-taliban. 


Jeffrey A. Singer, “Society Will Never Be Free of COVID-19--It's
Time to Embrace Harm Reduction,” Cato, Aug. 26, 2021,
https://www.cato.org/pandemics-policy/society-will-never-be-free-covid-19-its-time-embrace-harm-reduction.