Re:20 years after 9/11: Will we ever stop taking our shoes o...
by goto11 on Wednesday September 08, 2021 @12:16PM
(#28459260)
At the time of the 9/11 attacks, the US did not have bases in in Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya. Bin Laden was complaining about US presence in Saudi Arabia and Israel. So even with recent withdrawals, the US presence is only back at the level at the tine of the attacks. I don't see how this can in any way be construed as successful?
The purpose of the 9/11 attacks was to get the American public to demand the US withdraws support to Israel and Saudi Arabia. This has clearly failed.
Re:20 years after 9/11: Will we ever stop taking our shoes o...
by dragonwriter on Wednesday September 08, 2021 @12:44PM
(#28459631)
> The US has abandoned Syria, Iraq, Kurds.
It wasn’t much involved in any of those (and indeed had already abandoned the Kurds after the conflict which motivated the formation of al-Qaeda) when al-Qaeda actually got organized. It got reinvolved with them largely enabled by the political fallout from 9/11.
> The withdrawal from Afghanistan is a culmination of that.
Again, that's mostly a reversion to the status quo ante.
Re:20 years after 9/11: Will we ever stop taking our shoes o...
by Sebb767 on Wednesday September 08, 2021 @12:02PM
(#28459019)
Yes, but that took 20 years. Before, they got a war and permanent drone terror plus a massive amount of ground troops. I doubt 9/11 has anything to do with them retreating now; in fact, it's probably helping that the scars heal.
The US has abandoned Syria, Iraq, Kurds. It still has some sway with Saudi Arabia and Israel, none in Egypt or Libya.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan is a culmination of that.
The neo-conservative response to Al Qaeda was exactly what was needed to provoke this collapse over 20 years.