How Did 9/11 Affect The Success Of Al-Qaeda

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9/11 was an immediate tactical success for Al-Qaeda. The 9/11 attacks were an immense tactical success for Al-Qaeda because of the well-coordinated strikes on deliberate icons of the United States’s economic power and militant force. As a result, Al-Qaeda gained a massive global audience as they watched the attacks on live broadcast. Brain Jerkins mentions how “terrorists want a lot of people watching, not a lot of people dead” (91). 9/11 had brought Al-Qaeda the international notoriety that yearned through the live broadcasts. In addition, 9/11 affected both Al-Qaeda and the US’s finances. Bin Laden gloated that “every dollar al-Qaeda invested in the operation cost the US economy $1 million” (91). In contrast, America suffered economic consequences due to the attacks: Wall Street stocks lost 16 percent of their value and airlines companies laid off 170,000 employees. Initially, 9/11 seems like a victory for Al-Qaeda. …show more content…

Bin Laden hoped to spark the Clash of Civilizations but only thousands resonated his call. Because many Muslims believed it was “un-Islamic” to murder citizens, only a miniscule portion of Muslims paid heed to bin Laden’s message (92). Not only was Bin Laden’s goal undermined, governments of Muslims countries aided the United States in the fight against Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, bin Laden wanted the United States’ presence out of the Islamic world. However, due to the attacks, American soldiers occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. Relations between the United States and Middle Eastern governments were strengthened because they shared a goal to defeat violent Islamist. Because of bin Laden’s intense hatred for America, 9/11 became a strategic failure for