Who Actually Won the War on Terror — America or the Terrorists?

It followed the Cold War, a 44-year-and-nine-month-long struggle that defined generations, which, of course, culminated in an American victory. 

Everyone knows that — including Vladimir Putin, who called the Soviet Union’s collapse one of the greatest geopolitical tragedies of our age. It’s plainly obvious: America won the Cold War.

Only that wasn’t the Democratic Party consensus at the time.

“The Cold War is over. Japan and Germany won,” repeated one-time Democratic Party presidential frontrunner Paul Tsongas. It was the cornerstone message of his campaign. The year was 1992; the Soviet Union dissolved on Dec. 26, 1991 — literally just a handful of months earlier.

Goes to show ya: Without perspective or hindsight, some quick-takes are REALLY flippin’ stupid!

Because when you’re hugging trees, you can’t see the forest. Differentiating between bubbles, anomalies, and long-term trends is impossible. And it gets even murkier when we’re calling balls and strikes on something abstract, like “winning” a war against an ideology.

This brings us to the War on Terror, which began in earnest on Sept. 11, 2001. Twenty-five years later, the question looms larger than ever: Did America win the War on Terror — or did we actually lose to the terrorists?

Of course, the infuriating caveat is that the fact that this is even a debatable question is problematic enough. So much blood and treasure were spilled; thousands of young lives were lost.

Then again, the Cold War cost $10 to $13 trillion, lasted decades longer, and even more lives were lost. Because wars against ideologies are very expensive — and outcomes aren’t guaranteed.

Or even acknowledged by politicians when it’s not politically helpful.

We debated this question in yesterday’s VIP column. (Which, by the way, you should totally sign up for.) One reader wrote, “Who said the war is over? Think of it as a long term counter-insurgency.”

And that’s a fair point, because a war against “terror” won’t ever end. Neither will a war on crime, because crime will always exist; it’s not something you can bomb and blast into oblivion. Sadly, criminals and terrorists aren’t going away, because the intent is still there. Probably always will be. 

All we can do is minimize their harm.

So in that sense, nobody “won” the War on Terror because the war continues.

But on the other hand, there’s positive momentum and negative momentum. Even in the murky world of ideological warfare, there are meaningful metrics — and irrefutable mile markers — that indicate progress.

Or lack thereof.

And, alas, in that category, look no further than Afghanistan: Despite all the brave Americans who died, the Taliban is still firmly in control. Not only that, but Taliban soldiers are slaughtering civilians with American military equipment. By some estimates, they seized $7 billion in U.S. military hardware and weaponry during President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal.

Doesn’t feel too much like an American victory, does it?

And that’s not all. In this battle of ideologies, there are troubling signs domestically. 

By definition, terrorists use terrorism to achieve political objectives. Like it or not, the domino effects of 9/11 have given rise to a new political consensus — one that would make Osama bin Laden cackle with delight.

The Democratic Party is now a pro-Palestinian party. (There’s also a vocal anti-Israel movement in the GOP.) Since 9/11, we’ve welcomed nearly two million new Muslim immigrants. The Democratic Socialists of America has embraced the phrase “Globalize the Intifada” — and the Muslim DSA mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, even threatened to arrest the Israeli prime minister. 

There are now Muslim-majority cities in America — and a Muslim Brotherhood-funded Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, who currently has 62% betting odds to win his election. Meanwhile, there’s absolutely ZERO American appetite for any new military adventures in the Middle East. 

Osama wanted us to go, and now so do we.

So here we are, 25 years into the War on Terror: Antisemitism has globalized. Europe has already abandoned Israel — and America is racing in the same direction. Islam is spreading like wildfire in the West, rapidly consolidating power and growing in influence. Without question, Muslim socialists are a rising force in the Democratic Party. (And if you want to be a virtue-signaling left-winger, be sure to wear a keffiyeh to the Emmys and accuse Jewish oligarchs of funding an anti-Muslim genocide.) The future, it seems, is theirs.

Is this proof that the terrorists are winning?

I don’t think so. In fact, I suspect it means the exact opposite.

Because, of all the metrics available to assess the War on Terror, the single most meaningful metric is this: We’ve now gone 25 years without a 9/11-styled terrorist attack on American soil — or anything even close in proportion.

Think back to how you felt on 9/11 and reread the above sentence. That’s not an insignificant accomplishment. 

In many ways, it’s nothing short of miraculous.

Paul Tsongas’ error was confusing the telltale signs of victory with defeat — and conflating economic bubbles with long-term trends: Yes, Germany and Japan were prospering in 1992. But that’s not because they “won” the Cold War; the premise is absurd.

It’s because they were allies, investors, and trading partners with the United States.

Fun fact: In 1991, the U.S. economy was 25.09% of the global economy; Japan was 14.81%, and Germany was 7.13%. By 1999, the U.S. was 29.18% of the global economy; Japan was 14.04%, and Germany was 6.66%.

So no, Japan and Germany didn’t win the Cold War. And no, the terrorists aren’t winning the War on Terror. 

They’re losing.

I’m not going to defend Europe or America’s post-9/11 immigration policies. Especially in Europe, the problems are now painfully apparent — and likely still growing. 

Furthermore, if you want to argue that there is a clear and obvious causal link between Islamic terrorism and Islam itself, it’s prima facie true: Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every 9/11 terrorist was a Muslim.

Which means, without Islam in your country, there are no domestic Islamic terrorists.

But it’s also true that our willingness to accept millions of new Muslim immigrants is because Americans generally feel safe and protected from terrorism. Same way we watch the Israelis battle Hamas from afar, and then we shrug our shoulders: That’s Israel’s problem, not ours.

Hey, if anything, Israel should go easier on the terrorists. (Otherwise, those pesky Jews are committing “genocide.”) C’mon, can’t we tell Netanyahu to calm down?

Bottom line?

If we were actually losing the War on Terror, these sorts of opinions wouldn’t be politically viable.

Yet these opinions seem to be growing:

Tucker Carlson says that Muslim terror is an Israeli psyop.

“I don't know anyone in the United States in the last 24 years who’s been killed by radical Islam. I do know a lot of people who have killed themselves.”

“I know people who’ve died of drug ODs, more than a few. I know… pic.twitter.com/1DDaR9Wc6u

— AF Post (@AFpost) December 27, 2025

No matter how hard the GOP tries to make “radical Islam” happen, the base doesn’t care about it.

We are way more concerned about Israel.

You can deny reality and scream about Tucker, but the party can no longer be governed by those who refuse to acknowledge the Zionist…

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) December 27, 2025

🚨WHOA: Michigan Democrat Senate Candidate Abdul Mohamed El-Sayed REFUSED to comment on the Ayatollah being taken out because it upset his Muslim constituents:

"There are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today." pic.twitter.com/jEAWPpEWAr

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 30, 2026

That’s not to say that this war is over — or that victory is assured. After welcoming millions of Muslims into our country, we damn sure better assimilate ‘em. (The second-generation immigrant crime stats are awfully depressing, as are Muslim immigrants’ crime rates in Europe.) Otherwise, it’s entirely possible we’ve already sowed the seeds of our own destruction.

But as of right now, the evidence is overwhelming: Not only is America winning the War on Terror, but we’re winning so spectacularly that our biggest problem is overconfidence.

Which matters, too: Like Proverbs says, pride cometh before the fall.

One Last Thing: 2026 will reach a crescendo with the midterm elections. Nothing less than the future of our country teeters in the balance.

Never before have the political battle lines been so clearly defined. Blue wave or red wall, the 2026 midterms will transform our country.

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