The Afghanistan War

Abstract

Without any doubt the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, or 9/11 as the day soon became universally known, represent the most defining moment in international politics since the end of the cold war. Policymakers and analysts around the world agreed quickly that the horrific events of that day delineate a new era in world politics. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan stated, “We entered the twenty-first century through a gate of fire” and U.S. president George W. Bush observed that “night had fallen on a different world,” as he urged governments around the world to participate in a “global war on terrorism.”¹