Where did the post-9/11 war on terror go wrong?

The global “War on Terror,” initiated by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373 on September 28, 2001, aimed to prevent and suppress international terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. Despite its legally binding nature and initial widespread adoption, terrorism remains an evolving threat. The resolution's implementation faltered due to three main factors:

• Certain U.N. member states, including Iran, North Korea, and Myanmar, actively rejected its mandates, with Iran becoming a leading state sponsor of terrorism.
• Other member states, such as Qatar and Turkey, demonstrated a lack of commitment, maintaining inadequate compliance programs and even facilitating terrorist financing.
• A significant dispute over the definition of “terrorism” emerged, with some organizations and nations arguing that “armed struggle” for “self-determination” is not terrorism, creating loopholes that allow militants to thrive.

This fragmented approach has allowed terrorism to expand geographically and in attack volume, as evidenced by the “Axis of Resistance” network, which launched a Middle East war on October 7, 2023.