Did the Terrorists Win?

However one defines victory, America and the free world assuredly lost. The Twin Towers are shown in flames after hijacked planes crashed into them on September 11, 2001. (Photo by Jason Nevader/WireImage) Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. Twenty-five years ago, a clutch of madmen murdered some 3,000 people in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Oceans of ink have been spilled to understand their particular brand of deluded apocalypticism. It goes by fancy names like “Salafi jihadism” and “restoring the caliphate.” But who can doubt their most primal impulse? Paul D. Miller is a contributing writer for The Dispatch and professor of the practice of international affairs at Georgetown University. He previously served on the national security council staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. His most recent book is Choosing Defeat: The Twenty-Year Saga of How America Lost Afghanistan. More We Think You’d Like