Archive · 11 Sep 2026
America Still Follows Terrorists’ Post-9/11 Script, Historian Argues
Timothy Snyder says terrorists wanted America to react to the September 11 attacks in a way that would hurt America.
He believes the United States did this by starting wars and limiting some freedoms.
He thinks the country should have moved away from oil and invested in clean energy instead.
Snyder considers the 2003 invasion of Iraq a serious mistake.
He says the war made people trust the government less.
He also argues that Russia later used America’s actions as an excuse for its own invasion of Ukraine.
Snyder says current policies may be making the wars in Iran and Ukraine worse.
He believes people should think carefully instead of reacting with fear.
In his view, protecting freedom depends on how a country responds to danger.
Timothy Snyder argues that the United States responded to the September 11 attacks in ways that harmed its own freedoms and interests.
He says the country should have reduced fossil-fuel dependence instead of expanding Middle East involvement and military spending.
Snyder identifies the 2003 Iraq invasion as a major strategic mistake that damaged trust in government and international law.
He argues that the Iraq war made it easier for Vladimir Putin to justify Russia’s later aggression against Ukraine.
Writing from Kharkiv, Snyder warns that current United States policies toward Iran and Ukraine could further weaken defenses and enable more conflict.
- Who
- Historian Timothy Snyder discusses the United States, its leaders, Russia, Ukraine, and terrorist violence.
- What
- Snyder argues that American responses to 9/11—including the Iraq war, expanded security politics, and current foreign-policy choices—have produced harmful consequences.
- When
- The analysis begins with September 11, 2001, and covers developments through Russia’s war against Ukraine and the article’s current account from Kharkiv.
- Where
- The events and consequences concern the United States, Iraq, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and the Middle East; Snyder writes from Kharkiv.
- Why
- Snyder says the United States was provoked into choices that weakened freedom, damaged trust, violated international norms, and made later aggression easier to justify.
Snyder’s Critique
Officials’ Stated Rationale
Response to 9/11
Snyder’s Critique
Snyder argues that the United States should have pursued energy independence and avoided choices that restricted freedom and deepened Middle East conflicts.
Officials’ Stated Rationale
George W. Bush said the terrorists attacked because they hated American freedoms, while the post-9/11 government treated border management and other agencies as national-security matters.
Invasion of Iraq
Snyder’s Critique
Snyder calls the 2003 invasion a war of choice, says its stated links to 9/11 were invented, and argues that it damaged trust and international law.
Officials’ Stated Rationale
The article says American officials presented the invasion as part of the fight against terrorism and compared the proposed liberation of Iraq with democratic change in Eastern Europe.
Current use of force
Snyder’s Critique
Snyder argues that Donald Trump’s policies toward Iran and Ukraine are depleting American resources, enabling Russia, and potentially creating a pretext for suspending elections.
Officials’ Stated Rationale
The article presents the administration’s approach as relying on military action and homeland defense, but does not provide a detailed official justification for the current policies.
- Author
- Timothy Snyder, a historian of Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust
- Starting point
- The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
- Major policy criticized
- The United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003
- Energy argument
- Snyder says the United States should have reduced fossil-fuel dependence and funded clean energy after 9/11
- Russia and Ukraine
- He argues that the Iraq war made it easier for Vladimir Putin to claim that major powers could invade other countries
- Current location
- Snyder says he is writing from an underground shelter in Kharkiv
- Central warning
- He urges Americans not to respond to provocation by doing what terrorists or authoritarian leaders want