Islamabad: The September 11, 2001, attacks marked a fundamental turning point in global politics, transforming the international security environment and triggering a prolonged “War on Terror” whose consequences extended far beyond the immediate aftermath. The ensuing wars imposed massive human and economic costs, weakened the international legal order, destabilized Pakistan and regional countries, and triggered the collapse of the unipolar US hegemonic order. In this period of global transition, Pakistan has emerged as a resilient country, with the potential to confront current challenges and chart a way forward.

This was discussed at a guest talk titled “9/11 at 25: The Day that Changed the World”, organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad, in collaboration with the Department of International Relations, Bahria University, Islamabad. The talk featured Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute; Khalid Rahman, chairman IPS, and Dr Saira Nawaz Abbasi, head of the International Relations Department at Bahria University.

Delivering the keynote address, Mushahid Hussain Sayed argued that 9/11 fundamentally altered the global balance of power and accelerated the decline of unipolar American dominance. Questioning whether the US response to the attacks was proportionate, he contended that the event was subsequently used to pursue a broader geopolitical agenda. Referring to developments preceding 9/11, including the Project for the New American Century and its advocacy for reshaping the Middle East, he highlighted the extent to which regime change and military intervention had become embedded in US strategic thinking.

Citing figures from the Brown University’s ‘Costs of War’ study, Mushahid Hussain noted the enormous human and financial costs of the wars that followed 9/11, including approximately $8 trillion in US expenditure, around one million direct deaths, millions of indirect deaths, and tens of millions of displaced people. He observed that the US intervention in Afghanistan alone consumed approximately $2 trillion over two decades. He further argued that the failure to achieve the intended strategic objectives exposed the limitations of military intervention and contributed to the weakening of American global influence.

Discussing Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mushahid Hussain identified the post-9/11 period as particularly consequential for the region. He argued that political arrangements imposed in Afghanistan failed to adequately account for the country’s historical and social realities, while Pakistan suffered severe destabilization, particularly in the former FATA region. He also pointed to constant expansion of Indian influence in Afghanistan during the US occupation as a major consequence of the post-9/11 environment.

Turning to the broader global implications, he contrasted US war spending with China’s emphasis on economic connectivity and infrastructure during the same period, arguing that this divergence contributed to China’s rise. He also highlighted Russia’s subsequent recovery under President Vladimir Putin and the emergence of Muslim-majority middle powers, including Pakistan, as part of an increasingly significant pattern in the evolving international system.

Mushahid Hussain further identified the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudice as one of the most enduring consequences of the post-9/11 period. He noted the growth of right-wing political movements in parts of the West and linked contemporary tensions to longer historical narratives surrounding Islam and the West. He stressed the need to understand these competing historical and geopolitical visions while clearly distinguishing facts from propaganda.

In his remarks, Khalid Rahman emphasized that the declaration of a “War on Terror” represented a significant departure from treating terrorism primarily as a criminal matter, requiring investigation and prosecution. He identified the erosion of the international legal order as one of the most serious consequences of the post-9/11 response. He also underscored the continuing importance of the UN and international law.

Dr. Saira Nawaz noted that studying 9/11 is important for understanding how systemic change is shaped. She noted that through speech act states securitize a particular issue to serve their domestic and international interests; President Bush also used this mechanism to equate the 9/11 incident with an American security issue. Thus, security is not an objective phenomenon, but rather a subjective matter for every state actor.

The event provided an opportunity to critically examine the long-term geopolitical, legal, economic, and societal consequences of 9/11 and the subsequent “War on Terror,” while reflecting on the transformation of the international order over the past quarter century.