🕒 Created · Updated

The war on terror has officially ended following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The war on terror officially concluded in August 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. This conflict, which began with the September 11 attacks, was defined by a strategic view of terrorism as a high-level threat and a focus on global jihadism. The conflict progressed through three distinct phases: a radical phase of regime change and nation-building, a consolidation phase focused on sustainable counterterrorism, and an extraction phase that concluded with the U.S. pulling back its forces. While the U.S. has successfully protected the homeland from catastrophic attacks, the broader movement of Salafi-jihadism remains a resilient force. Groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to operate globally, driven by a shared ideology that views the Western liberal order as hostile to Islam. Critics note that the war on terror created lasting habits, such as the tendency to overextend U.S. power to combat enemies of other countries. Moving forward, the administration has shifted priorities toward great-power competition and nuclear proliferation, though counterterrorism operations continue to occur against groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Sources

Paywall and unreadable sources