Summary: In September 2001, members of al-Qaeda managed, largely because of luck, to pull off a risky terrorist act that became by far the most destructive in history. The peculiar trauma evoked by the attack has proven to be lasting: a recent survey revealed that more than 70 per cent of Americans believe a terrorist attack inflicting large numbers of deaths in the United States is very or somewhat likely in the near future — the same percentage as in the days following 9/11. This has impelled a US reaction that has been substantially delusional, one massively disproportionate to the threat that al-Qaeda has actually presented, either as an international menace or an inspiration to home-grown amateurs. As anthropologist Scott Atran has put it: “Perhaps never in the history of human conflict have so few people with so few actual means and capabilities frightened so many.” Tonight ABC & GGT will discuss the "War On Terror" and what the side-effects and cost are.
