What has 20 years of the ‘war on terror’ accomplished?

On Sept. 16, 2001, then-President George W. Bush responded to a reporter’s question about his administration’s response to the attacks on the World Trade Center, saying, “This is a new kind of — a new kind of evil. … This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.”

That apparently unscripted statement, shortened by Bush to “war on terror” in a speech a few days later, would quickly be codified into a formal policy that has dramatically changed the United States’ role in the world over the past 20 years....