Opinion
Mr. Bergen is a vice president at New America and has covered terrorism since 1993.
TL;DR
- The 1993 World Trade Center bombing, intended to topple the towers, killed six people but failed in its ultimate goal.
- The author has spent three decades studying jihadist terrorism, including producing the first in-person television interview with Osama bin Laden in 1997.
- Al Qaeda's motivations, as expressed by bin Laden in 1997, were focused on U.S. foreign policy, not a hatred of American freedoms.
- The article suggests that many vulnerabilities revealed by Al Qaeda remain, and mistakes made in response have been costly.
- As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the author emphasizes the need to correct the record and prevent future attacks.