Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump

The Global War on Terror was launched in response to the cataclysmic attacks of September 11, 2001. The invasion of Afghanistan, home of the Taliban and one-time refuge of Osama Bin Laden, was the opening salvo. Afghanistan has been dubbed the “Forever War,” with US forces mired in quixotic fighting for twenty years. Forces have been drawn down recently, but the US still retains a presence. The War on Terror is now into its fourth administration, with continued renewals of the Patriot Act and National Defense Authorization Act. The apparent righteousness of the war has dissipated over time, as government paranoia gave way to attacks on civil rights and further government secrecy, the successes in stopping further attacks questioned as allegations of torture against various captives were brought to light. In attempting to stop alleged monsters, did our government become them?

In Reign of Terror, Spencer Ackerman takes the various administrations (Bush through Biden) to task for their continuing the long war not on particular people but on an ideology. Ackerman’s work is a fine in-depth probe of the government’s covert and overt war, conducted over two decades, spanning various countries. While I disagree with some of Ackerman’s conclusions, this is an incisive study of government policy.