The Global War on Terror and the Clash of Civilisations have resulted in significant human and financial costs
The 9/11 terrorist attacks initiated a global struggle to defend and spread liberal democracy, leading to a war with no obvious geographic boundary or endpoint. While the public initially supported a broad anti-terrorist offensive, the subsequent military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen resulted in a staggering human cost. Estimates suggest that between 4.5 million and 4.7 million people were killed as a result of these conflicts, including both direct combat casualties and indirect deaths from economic collapse and displacement. Furthermore, the wars have incurred massive financial costs, with the U.S. spending an estimated $4.37 trillion on its wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. These conflicts have also discredited liberal internationalism and military intervention, leading to a shift in the West where the lives of dark-skinned people, especially Muslims, were often less valued. The era of 9/11 has also seen the rise of new rivals, such as Vladimir Putin, who has engaged in a clash of civilisations by invading Ukraine to counter the expansion of Western democracy.
Sources
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9/11 unleashed two decades of war. Now Putin is exploiting the damage
The Independent
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Liberalism after 9/11
The Argument