Assessing the Global War on Terror: Legacies, Outcomes, and Remaining Challenges
The global discussion marks twenty‑five years since September 11th, with international media reviewing both the War on Terror’s successes and its shortcomings. In France, the far‑right National Rally faces pressure to separate itself from a controversial comment made by one of its security officials while performing his standard police duties. An intriguing clue may lie buried in ancient remains: a fossilised feather uncovered in a block of dinosaur dung could shed light on why most prehistoric bird families disappeared alongside the dino‑extinction, possibly hinting at differences in feather characteristics.
The Washington Post affirms that although the 9/11 response contained errors—in Iraq and Afghanistan among them—the coverage credits the mission for getting critical objectives correct. Similarly, the Wall Street Journal identifies two central tenets of the strategy: extending the fight against terrorists beyond borders and obligating states that host them to do so—a policy thought to safeguard the United States from a repeat of major attacks within its own borders over the ensuing decades. By contrast, European reporting presents a divergent view. The Times endorses the tactical framework while noting the Bush administration’s mistaken tie between attacks alleged to be carried out by Saudi nationals and events in Iraq, an entirely unrelated setting. In France, The Times recalls that Leo Monde conducted an interview with a former intelligence official who said that al Qaeda’s traps were the long wars into which America plunged.
Inside France, the National Rally strives to distance itself from a scandal involving a police officer with close ties to the party, whose recorded remarks while patrolling the town of Carcassonne included harsh racial slurs directed at Black and Arab residents. Citing the incident to Le Figaro, party leaders declared the episode an isolated occurrence and insisted that intolerance bears no place within their ranks. Conversely, L’Humanité claims the officer voiced the party’s genuine position, pointing to derogatory terms employed toward travellers “scavenging bohemians,” a vehement criticism of Nazi collaborator Marshal Pétain, and a broader condemnation of cultural demons.
The Times adds that scientists have identified a fragment of fossilised dinosaur dung bearing a preserved feather, offering a rare glimpse into how surviving avian lineages fared amid catastrophes. Such discoveries may uncover whether particular feather structures gave surviving birds an advantage in the post‑impact environment.