A quarter-century after September 11, one of America's most senior architects of its post-attack foreign policy has offered a rare and measured reckoning with what went wrong. Zalmay Khalilzad, who served at the highest levels of US diplomacy in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations, now argues that grief and fear — not strategic clarity — drove decisions that cost hundreds of thousands of lives across two prolonged wars. His reflections raise an enduring question that haunts democratic societies: how much damage can a nation inflict upon itself and others when its most consequential choic
Al Jazeera
· Sep 12, 2026
· governance
· 4 min read
High
Sourcing: Verified
Former US Diplomat Khalilzad: Post-9/11 Fear Drove Strategic Mistakes in Afghanistan, Iraq
Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks; the subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq wars resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, injuries, and displacement across both countries.
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World & Diplomacy
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Bias & Framing
⚖
Al Jazeera presents a sympathetic retrospective of US post-9/11 decisions through a former diplomat's reflective lens, emphasizing emotional drivers over policy critique.
Bias Direction
center-left
Confidence
MED
Retrospective accountability framing that contextualizes rather than condemns strategic errors. The article positions Khalilzad as a credible insider offering self-reflection, which softens criticism of US foreign policy while maintaining a critical stance toward the decisions themselves.
spiralling decisions
deadliest foreign attack
nearly 20-year-long war
misgivings about US policy
Voices from affected populations in Afghanistan and Iraq
Perspectives from those who opposed the wars at the time
Counterarguments defending the strategic rationale from security officials
Victims' families or humanitarian organizations' assessments
International allies' views on the decisions
Geopolitical Impact
🌎
Former US diplomat Khalilzad admits post-9/11 fear drove strategic errors in Afghanistan and Iraq, signaling potential US reassessment of interventionist doctrine and its global consequences.
Escalation Risk
low
Confidence
HIGH
Afghanistan
Iraq
Middle East
Central Asia
United States
High-level US admission of strategic miscalculation undermines American credibility on intervention justifications, potentially emboldening revisionist powers (Russia, China) to challenge US-led order. Strengthens Taliban and Iranian regional positioning. Complicates US alliance management in Middle East regarding future interventions.
Similar to post-Vietnam War reckonings (1970s-80s) when US officials acknowledged mission creep and flawed assumptions, leading to temporary restraint before renewed interventionism. May precede policy shifts rather than prevent future conflicts.
Economic Lens
📈
Former US diplomat acknowledges post-9/11 fear drove strategic errors in Afghanistan and Iraq, with long-term economic consequences from prolonged military engagements and geopolitical instability.
Market Signal
neutral
Confidence
MED
Defense and military contracting
Energy and oil markets
International trade and commerce
Reconstruction and infrastructure
Financial services and insurance
Consumers faced higher government spending on military operations, contributing to fiscal deficits and inflation pressures. Prolonged conflicts increased oil price volatility, affecting energy costs. Reduced international stability impacted global supply chains and trade costs.
This retrospective analysis may influence future foreign policy decision-making frameworks, potentially leading to stricter oversight of military interventions, improved cost-benefit analysis requirements, and greater emphasis on diplomatic solutions. Could prompt Congressional review of emergency powers and military authorization procedures.