On September 11, 2001, I was in New York City, an experience that left an indelible mark on my memory. This article briefly references the “horrifying images playing endlessly on TV.” However, without a cable connection, I only glimpsed the visuals during my gym visits, where I would spend about 5 to 15 minutes catching up on the news. For those living within the five boroughs, the impression of instability hinged significantly on their proximity to Ground Zero, particularly in areas below 14th Street, where acrid smoke still lingered and the sound of sirens filled the air. The devastating footage of the twin towers collapsing had an equally profound effect.
It was particularly distressing to witness how quickly some churches embraced a philosophy of warmongering, aligning themselves with Bush’s speech at the National Cathedral. Seeking solace in a moment of vulnerability, I attended a service at the Unitarian church nearby. The congregation was packed, forcing me to sit on the floor at the front. This made it difficult for me to leave when the pastor began discussing martial themes.
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, authors of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, now available in a revised, updated second edition.
Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of CODEPINK for Peace, and has written several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher for CODEPINK, and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.
The lesson from 9/11 should be clear: war is not a viable solution to the challenges confronting the United States. After two and a half decades of inflicting violence globally in a “global war on terror,” which has devolved into a systematic assault on various nations and a resurgent Cold War dynamic with Russia and China, the public’s growing disapproval of Trump’s discussions of war with Iran indicates that many Americans have finally internalized this lesson.
Sadly, many influential sectors within our corrupt business and political elite appear oblivious to this realization.
For those who can remember September 11, 2001, the haunting images broadcast relentlessly revealed the stark reality of mass murder. Yet, amid the horror, many of us felt a profound deflation—knowing that the aspirations and dreams of billions would soon be overshadowed by an agenda driven by revenge, fear, and militarism.
Shockingly, it became evident that mere hours after the attacks—less than six hours post the first plane’s impact with the World Trade Center—plans for America’s military retaliation were rapidly taking shape. By 2:40 p.m., Defense Secretary Rumsfeld had organized a meeting at the Pentagon, during which he was recorded demanding immediate intelligence to assess a military strike against Saddam Hussein in conjunction with actions against Osama bin Laden. Alarmingly, he instructed his subordinates, “Go massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not.”
As we reflect on the past twenty-five years, it is evident how the U.S. government leveraged September 11 to justify a crusade of violence and chaos worldwide. Experts like former Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz and military historian Michael Howard warned from the outset that declaring a “war on terror” was illogical and would exacerbate existing issues.
They turned out to be correct. Yet when the State Department’s annual Patterns of Global Terrorism report for 2004 revealed an alarming rise in global terrorism following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promptly discontinued the report to implement a new one that utilized different criteria, rendering past comparisons impossible.
However, Rumsfeld made it clear from the outset that the 9/11 crisis provided a limitless rationale for waging wars against adversaries with no direct connection to the attacks, and for revitalizing military expenditure after a brief reduction post-Cold War.
In the last twenty-five years, total U.S. military spending has surpassed $21 trillion (adjusted for 2024), dwarfing the combined expenditures of the next eighteen largest military powers. Meanwhile, China has successfully developed an entirely new civilization and infrastructure while outranking the U.S. in clean energy, high-speed rail, and technological sectors where America previously excelled.
Both Democrats and Republicans share accountability for these misguided decisions, while the alarming human and financial costs incurred by these wars wield their own devastating consequences on affected nations, rendering this squandering of national wealth all the more tragic.
The history of the United States during this era evokes an ancient Greek tale. Croesus, the notably affluent king of Lydia, sought advice from the Oracle at Delphi regarding a potential invasion of Persia. The Oracle warned him, “If you cross the Halys River, a great empire will fall.” Fueled by this reassurance, Croesus declared war, ultimately facing defeat and witnessing the downfall of his own empire.
In their relentless pursuit of global authority, our leaders have overlooked and betrayed the genuine sources of America’s prosperity and security: the well-being of our citizens and fostering peaceful relations with neighboring countries.
They have led us into unnecessary conflict, poverty, and severe inequality, dismantling what had slowly been evolving into a more democratic governance. Here at home, decades of struggle by labor, civil rights, and social movements yielded major victories: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, substantial federal investments in infrastructure and education, and a highly progressive tax system, where the top income tax rate remained at 91% until 1963. These measures aimed to enhance public welfare and bridge wealth disparities.
Contrary to the “End of History” narrative embraced by numerous policymakers after the Cold War, and Margaret Thatcher’s assertion that “there is no alternative” to the extreme neoliberal capitalism she and Ronald Reagan championed, history demonstrates that political and economic alternatives persist. The incumbent corruption among America’s elites continues to perpetuate a system maintaining decision-making power solely within their grasp, ultimately benefiting their interests at the expense of the broader population.
One alternative is currently emerging in New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani is prioritizing free childcare expansion, substantial investments in affordable housing, enhancing public transportation, and freezing rents for tenants in stabilized units. While electoral politics may contribute to the solution, it must genuinely reflect the desires of ordinary people rather than merely offering constrained options between oligarchic “lesser evils.”
Americans are calling for a resurgence of social progress through universal healthcare, quality public education, and essential resources that remain unattainable as long as a bloated and destructive military industrial complex dominates government priorities. As Martin Luther King said in 1967, “I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube.”
Twenty-five years is a significant period to remain on a misguided path, particularly one that leads to perpetual conflict and devastation in other nations. We have strayed far from where most Americans envision our country should be. Yet, we have a clear understanding of what has gone wrong and what measures are needed:
- Cease funding a broken, destructive military machine.
- Stop threatening and blockading neighboring countries.
- Close overseas military bases and bring troops home.
- Implement fair taxation on the wealthy.
- Begin rebuilding our country, prioritizing cooperation over militarism.
- Foster public ownership and accountability for essential services like education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and utilities.
- Abolish ICE and other militarized institutions that drain resources and fail to benefit the public.
- Limit the military’s role strictly to the defense against realistic threats.
If we have genuinely absorbed the lessons of the last twenty-five years, we must translate this understanding into policies that reflect our values. The essential question remains: can we shift our trajectory in response to the mistakes made following 9/11? Only time will tell.
