Response to 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists killed nearly three thousand people on the U.S. mainland. The terrorists executed the attacks by hijacking four planes, using them as weapons to kill innocent civilians. Two planes were crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York and another into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Television headlines read “LIVE: America Under Attack” while much of the world watched the World Trade Center towers collapse, the Pentagon burn, and Americans lose their lives. September 11, 2001, represented the deadliest foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Al-Qaeda targeted U.S. symbols of finance and security, while seeking to maximize civilian casualties. U.S. intelligence agencies had issued agencies mounting warnings about the growing ambitions of armed Islamist groups such as al-Qaeda. However, 9/11 came as a complete surprise to the George W. Bush administration, the American people, and the world. 

Terrorism is not new. Several attacks on the United States occurred throughout the twentieth century. However, such events were largely seen as isolated incidents rather than an overriding national security concern. A new Islamist group founded by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, escalated attacks throughout the 1990s. Al-Qaeda killed dozens of Americans with bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 and the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. Al-Qaeda fundamentally rejected U.S. ideals and interests. Specifically, al-Qaeda opposed U.S. involvement in the 1990–91 Gulf War and U.S. support for the governments of Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden saw the United States as an occupying force against Islam. In 1998, bin Laden issued a religious decree calling on his followers to partake in the killing of  Americans. The intelligence community ramped up surveillance of bin Laden; however, they had yet to fully recognize al-Qaeda’s attacks as an entirely new brand of terrorism that posed a significant threat to U.S. security. Increasingly coordinated and deadly incidents by Islamist terrorist organizations spawned even more terrorist groups. These emerging organizations used similar recruitment networks, sophisticated methods of communication (including the internet), and staunch funders to sustain attacks. 

The magnitude of the 9/11 terrorist attacks drove the United States to consider responding with military action. The United States had intervened in conflicts throughout the 1990s in pursuit of human rights and strategic goals. Most notably, it led the Gulf War against the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait. In the past, military action has allowed the United States to punish aggressors, protect its interests and values, and demonstrate U.S. geopolitical power. However, such aggressive actions abroad have also inflicted collateral damage. The rise of anti-American sentiment and a worsening global reputation have been byproducts of this military action. In response to 9/11, policymakers considered combating a terrorist organization—as opposed to a country—a move that could magnify those downsides. Many argued over the varying degrees of military action needed to address the overriding threat terrorism posed. Others warned that using force could facilitate recruitment for terrorist groups, leading to a greater likelihood and frequency of foreign attacks. Instead, these policymakers argued, the United States should address the root causes of terrorism to prevent future acts of violence.