The war on terror is a lost cause. As the war heads towards its second decadeAmerican security policy is in disarray the Iraq War is a disasterAfghanistan is d... » 

The war on terror is a lost cause. As the war heads towards its second decadeAmerican security policy is in disarray the Iraq War is a disasterAfghanistan is deeply insecure and the alQaida movement remains as potent asever with new generations of leaders coming to the fore. Well over 100000civilians have died in Iraq and Afghanistan many tens of thousands have beendetained without trial and torture prisoner abuse and rendition have sulliedthe reputation of the United States and its coalition partners. Why WereLosing the War on Terror examines the reasons for the failure focusing onAmerican political and military attitudes the impact of 911 the fallacy of aNew American Century the role of oil and above all the consummate failure togo beyond a narrow western view of the world. More significantly it arguesthat the disaster of the war may have a huge if unexpected bonus. Its veryfailure will make it possible to completely rethink western attitudes toglobal security moving towards a sustainable policy that will be much moreeffective in addressing the real threats to global security the wideningsocioeconomic divide and climate change. «