September 11, 2017
Sixteen years after 9/11, are we any better at fighting terrorism?
In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks — 16 years ago on Monday — President George W. Bush declared a war on terrorism that he pledged would not end until every terrorist group of global reach was defeated. Bush drew a line in the sand, telling every nation, “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.” The Bush administration was more flexible than this rhetoric suggested, but it still evinced a strong willingness to act unilaterally.
President Barack Obama sought to make U.S. counterterrorism efforts more sustainable, and thereby enable the United States to focus more on other challenges. To do this he not only pursued a more focused counterterrorism campaign than the Bush administration had, but also put an even greater emphasis on working with partners. This was intended to share the costs of counterterrorism and make gains more sustainable by giving partners ownership of the fight.
Read the full op-ed in the Washington Post.
More from CNAS
-
The Air War Against the Islamic State
Podcast
Becca Wasser and Stacie Pettyjohn are interviewed about the air war against the Islamic State that was critical to the territorial defeat of the group’s territorial caliphate ...
By Becca Wasser
-
Trends, Timelines, and Uncertainty: An Assessment of the State of Cross-Strait Deterrence
Congressional Testimony
Submitted Written TestimonyI. Introduction Chairman Talent, Chairman Goodwin, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to participate in today’s h...
By Tom Shugart
-
Sharper: National Security's Next Generation
Commentary
The need to amplify new and diverse voices in national security policymaking has never been clearer....
By Chris Estep, Ainikki Riikonen & Cole Stevens
-
Short-Term Action Items for Lloyd Austin's Pentagon
Commentary
Dealing with urgent issues while beginning immediate work on desperately needed long-term structural reforms will be the overarching challenge for this team....
By Chris Dougherty
