U.S. Army soldiers from the 101 st Airborne department off load throughout a battle objective from a Chinook 47 helicopter March 5, 2002 in Eastern Afghanistan.
Keith D. McGrew|U.S. Army|Getty Images News
Saturday marks the 20 th anniversary of theSept 11, 2001 attacks that took 2,977 lives and altered the world permanently. It completely modified the security landscape in the United States and in other places, requiring federal governments to totally revamp their defense methods, policies and counterterrorism methods.
Twenty years on, occasions in the very nation that harbored the criminals of the 9/11 attacks– Afghanistan– have actually seen the War on Terror come strangely cycle.
The collapse of Afghanistan following the U.S. troop withdrawal, and its takeover by the Taliban– the group that hosted al-Qaeda as it outlined its attacks on the West– for numerous represents a symbolic and destructive failure.
In the last 20 years of the war versus terrorism, countless lives have actually been lost and trillions of dollars invested. CNBC spoke with CIA, military and diplomatic veterans of the continuous War on Terror, asking what they feel America has actually discovered– and stopped working to find out– considering thatSept 11, 2001.
What have we discovered considering that 9/11?
Nada Bakos, previous CIA expert
“Honestly, I do not believe we have actually discovered that much; I believe we’re most likely predestined to be making a few of those errors once again. But ideally we’re made with huge professions of other nations.
” I hope that we have actually specified now where we comprehend that we can’t spread our democracy and reconstruct other nations in our design, in a manner that we were ignorant sufficient to believe would operate at that time.”
Jay, previous U.S. Marine and Afghanistan war veteran
“We’ve discovered that 20 years of war has actually made us the very best on the planet at little system methods, however continuing to battle revolts is none of our service.
I believe the effect (of Afghanistan) is no one’s going to be hurrying to step in.Anywhere Until the injury of this has all vanished.
William Patey
Former U.K. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
“I think many Americans have learned not to trust their government. ‘Leadership’ lied to the American public for 20 years, while the actual situation on the ground in Afghanistan was no mystery to the people who served there. This has gone on for two decades as senior ‘leadership’ moves from the military or government into high-paying defense contractor jobs.”
The One World Trade Center is reviewed a close-by structure ahead of the 20 th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 10, 2021.
Carlos Barria|Reuters
“Here’s the frightening thing though: I do not believe the public has actually discovered anything. They have not been bought the GWOT [Global War on Terrorism] on a big scale. If they had actually been, they would be requiring responsibility for the whole thing, with the ordeal in Kabul as the driver.”
Jay requested his surname be kept due to expert constraints on speaking with journalism.
Merging terrorism with religious beliefs was the greatest error I believe that was made. We developed opponents which were not there.
Sayed Jalal Karim
Former Afghan ambassador to Saudi Arabia
William Patey, previous U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
“We definitely discovered the restrictions on using force in handling an issue such as worldwide terrorism– we have actually discovered it’s more complex, which liberal democracies are not great at committing the needed time and resources to doing the work. They are restless, and their political horizons are really brief.
“What we have actually likewise discovered considering that 9/11 is that the radical Islamist hazard stays as powerful as ever, it hasn’t disappeared. And notably, we have actually discovered that radical Islamist ideology is notIslam It’s various.”
“We continue to have things like war on terrorism, war on drugs. These are wars that stop working. These are continuous social and ideological concerns that require complex, challenging policies that are not quickly handled by something as easy as war.”
Bruce Riedel, previous CIA expert and National Security Council member
“It’s what we have actually not discovered in 20 years that stands apart.We can not efficiently manage the horror hazard without resolving its source: the Palestinian dispute and the profession.
Listen to our opponents, Usama bin Laden, and listen to our buddies, King Abdallah II: they both state the exact same fact which is the Palestinian problem is the core of the dispute.”
Sayed Jalal Karim, Afghan diplomat and previous ambassador to Saudi Arabia
” I believe the objective that the U.S. had was a great objective, due to the fact that the 9/11 attack was a scary to all. I think that the total war versus terrorism is a warranted cause.
“But merging terrorism with religion was the biggest mistake I think that was made. We created enemies which were not there.”
The debris of the World Trade Center smoulders following a terrorist attack September 11, 2001 in New York.
Porter Gifford|Getty Images
Cole T. Lyle, previous U.S. Marine and Afghanistan war veteran and previous Senate military consultant
“In the past twenty years, we’ve re-learned that the U.S. military cannot be defeated at the tactical or, with rare exceptions, the operational level of warfare. But the United States can be defeated at the strategic one.”
Fragile or stopped working states are hotbeds for terrorism, and I do believe that we have actually developed brand-new hotbeds.
Tracy Walder
Former officer, CIA counterterrorism center
“Foreign and defense policymakers in DC need to start thinking longer-term about America’s strategic interests globally instead of choosing what is in their best interests short-term. The American people need to demand that their elected representatives have a firm grasp on strategic end-states in any major conflict going forward.”
Is the world a more secure location today?
Tracy Walder, previous officer, CIA Counterterrorism Center
” 9/11 required us to handle a war of concepts instead of war of individuals or dominating area and land. I believe we are more secure because we have a much better understanding of that.
“However, we have actually developed some instability in nations due to the fact that of things that we have actually done there considering that September11 Fragile or stopped working states are hotbeds for terrorism, and I do believe that we have actually developed brand-new hotbeds as an outcome of that.”
Nada Bakos, previous CIA expert
” I believe we have actually ups and downs as far as security. The U.S. federal government has actually captured individuals preparing attacks and stopped them prior to they have the ability to act, considering that 9/11
“I do think in some ways we are safer, I think in other ways our actions have created obviously a lot more chaos and harm and — ISIS. I mean, let’s be realistic, we would not have ISIS had we not invaded Iraq. We wouldn’t have al-Qaeda in Iraq.”
Sayed Jalal Karim, Afghan diplomat and previous ambassador to Saudi Arabia
“I do not believe that we are more unsafe now, but we could have been in a much better position, if we had balanced the fight against terrorism from all different aspects — education, economy, mentality, instead of only military — and not merged terrorism with religion.”
William Patey, previous U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
“It manifestly has actually been more secure for the United States where they have actually not had a severe terrorist attack in the mainland United States for 20 years. But Europe and the Middle East have actually seen more terrorist attacks … The hazard has actually now distributed throughout the world.
Taliban take control of Hamid Karzai International Airport after the conclusion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 31, 2021.
Wali Sabawoon|Anadolu Agency|Getty Images
“We’ve improved intelligence defenses; it’s far more challenging for terrorists to install intricate attacks of the sort that 9/11 was … however this ideology is still able to produce homegrown individuals going to do offensive things. And undoubtedly, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will most likely have actually motivated these individuals.
“The nature of the threat has changed – it’s less concentrated and more dispersed all over the world. The radical Islamist franchise is alive and well.”
Ahmad Wardak, Afghanistan professional and previous Kabul- based reporter
” I believe the United States is much weaker than it was 20 years earlier, mostly due to the fact that of the 2 wars it combated unsuccessfully. And if we go to pre-9/11, the Middle East was fairly serene.
“If you take a look at unsuccessful states, as an outcome of the U.S. intrusions in the Middle East and Afghanistan, a lot of of these stopped working states are vulnerable to terrorist companies. That is a worry for nationwide security.”
My heart harms. It harms for individuals of Afghanistan who have not understood genuine peace in years … it harms for my nation, whose nationwide honor has actually suffered.
Cole T. Lyle
previous U.S. Marine and Afghanistan war veteran
” I believe the world is not in a much better location than prior to2001 Now the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East remain in a far more susceptible position with Iran being a local hegemon– in the lack of Saddam Hussein– and the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan.”
How would you explain your sensations, reviewing where we are now?
Tracy Walder, previous officer of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center
“Those last 2 weeks of August, simply promoting myself, were exceptionally challenging for me. I seemed like whatever I did didn’t matter. Like all of the excellent that I was attempting to do was simply sort of eliminated.
” I feel really annoyed. I feel quite like we actually left individuals hanging there, to pass away. I do not put blame on Biden, Trump, Obama – I do not put blame on someone. The entire thing is discouraging. We stopped working to culturally comprehend Afghanistan.
William Patey, previous U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
” I believe the greatest one is disappointment, integrated with unhappiness, due to the fact that it didn’t need to be by doing this. I believe for rather a small financial investment compared to what we put in previously, we didn’t need to suffer an overall defeat.
A male grieves at the 9/11 Memorial on the 20 th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 11, 2021.
Mike Segar|Reuters
“We built up an Afghan army that was totally dependent on day-to-day air support and logistics, then when we pulled the rug from under them and were a bit surprised when they collapsed. So the manner of our leaving was very frustrating.”
Jay, previous U.S. Marine and Afghanistan war veteran
“I truly hope more people inside and outside the government have been taking notes and are ready to overhaul the entire national security apparatus because our adversaries around the globe have definitely been paying attention.”
Cole T. Lyle, previous U.S. Marine and Afghanistan war veteran and previous Senate military consultant
“The War in Afghanistan was the most ethically warranted war American has actually gone into considering that World War II. But policymakers entered without believed for completion video game, and now we’re seeing the outcomes.
“How do I feel about the war overall? My heart harms. It harms for individuals of Afghanistan who have not understood genuine peace in years and will now live under the wicked guideline of the Taliban once again.
An artist paints a homage to victims of the bomb blasts at the Hamid Kazrai International airport in Kabul, outside an art school in Mumbai, India, August 27, 2021.
Francis Mascarenhas|Reuters
“It hurts for the Gold Star families who lost everything. It hurts for my brothers and sisters in the U.S. and U.K. armed forces who lost their friends. It hurts for my country, whose national honor has suffered as we leave behind American citizens and the people who fought with us.”
William Patey, previous U.K. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq
“The restrictions on frustrating military power that Iraq and Afghanistan have actually revealed will make nations in the West really unwilling to get included.
” I believe the effect is no one’s going to be hurrying to step in.Anywhere Until the injury of this has all vanished.”
