Tag: Osama bin Laden

Suddenly, it was clear that the United States was under attack. A country whose continental states had not seen a major attack in nearly 200 years was stunned to find that its financial and military centres had been hit by a small terrorist group based thousands of miles away. Its most lasting and consequential effects are interlinked: a massively expensive and unending “war on terror”, heightened suspicion of government and the media in many democratic countries, a sharp uptick in Western antagonism toward Muslims, and the decline of US power alongside rising international disorder – developments that aided the rise of Donald Trump and leaders like him. Just weeks after 9/11, the administration of US President George W. Bush invaded Afghanistan with the aim of destroying al Qaeda, which had been granted safe haven by the extremist Taliban regime. It is now the longest war the United States has fought. In many parts of the world, the war fuelled anti-Americanism; in Europe, public opinion about the war set in motion a widening estrangement between the United States and its key European allies. Monetary and social costs Today, the United States spends US$32 million every hour on the wars fought since 9/11. In the United States and in other countries, citizens are increasingly suspicious of government sources and the media — at times even questioning whether truth is knowable. The consequences for democracy are dire. Instead, it is countries with large Muslim populations that have seen a rise in terrorist attacks.

Usama bin Laden’s son, Hamzi, went to Afghanistan to become and Al Qaeda leader despite Usama’s brothers’ pleads begging him not to follow in his father’s infamous footsteps. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to…

Is Donald Trump a liar? The goal of gaslighting, Ms. Carpenter writes, is to gain “control over people.” First, Mr. Trump makes an outrageous claim—for instance, his assertion that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. Second, he backs off of the claim, insisting he is only “raising questions” or saying what “many others” have said. In the end she categorically denied it, but recalls the episode with evident horror. Still, Ms. Carpenter pushes the gaslighting metaphor too hard. That’s called campaigning. Note, she tells us, that both Mr. Trump and Richard Nixon called the efforts to bring them down a “witch hunt.” Mr. Trump may have gaslighted himself into the presidency, but the metaphor doesn’t quite capture his methods since. Consider his March 2017 tweet about Mr. Obama having Trump Tower’s “wires tapped,” or his insistence that more people watched his inauguration than any other. Something of the ordinary Trump voter’s thought process comes across in “The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics” (Crown Forum, 309 pages, $28) by reporter Salena Zito and political consultant Brad Todd. Ms. Zito and Mr. Todd relay lengthy interviews with several voters in each of these states who, despite their inclination and past affiliations, cast their votes for Mr. Trump. There’s no perfect candidate.” In the end she voted for Mr. Trump.