Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies Mark 25 Years Since 9/11 With Call to End Endless War
In a commentary for Naked Capitalism, Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies argue that the attacks on September 11, 2001, sparked a 25-year-long "global war on terror," which has transformed into a genocide driven by Zionist motives and a renewed Cold War targeting Russia and China. They highlight that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld held a meeting on the very day of the attacks, insisting on swift intelligence regarding Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Citing critiques from Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz and military historian Michael Howard about the "war on terror," they note that a 2004 report indicated a rise in terrorism following the Iraq invasion, prompting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to alter the narrative. With US military expenditures surpassing $21 trillion, the authors advocate for the cessation of military funding and a reevaluation of defense priorities.
Key facts
- The commentary was published by Naked Capitalism and authored by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies
- Rumsfeld convened a Pentagon meeting at 2:40 p.m. on September 11, 2001, less than six hours after the first plane struck the World Trade Center
- Undersecretary Stephen Cambone's notes, later obtained by CBS News, recorded Rumsfeld's instruction "Go massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not."
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cancelled the State Department's 2004 Patterns of Global Terrorism report after it showed an unprecedented increase in global terrorism following the US invasion of Iraq
- Total US military spending over 25 years exceeded $21 trillion in 2024 dollars, surpassing the combined spending of the other 18 largest military powers
- Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz and military historian Michael Howard warned from the beginning that declaring a "war on terror" would make matters worse
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pursuing expanded free childcare, affordable housing investment, public transportation improvements and rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments
- Martin Luther King lamented in 1967 that America would never invest in rehabilitating the poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men, skills and money
Entities
Artists
- Medea Benjamin
- Nicolas J. S. Davies
- Yves
- Donald Rumsfeld
- Stephen Cambone
- Saddam Hussein
- Osama bin Laden
- Ben Ferencz
- Michael Howard
- Condoleezza Rice
- Croesus
- Margaret Thatcher
- Ronald Reagan
- Zohran Mamdani
- Martin Luther King
- George W. Bush
Institutions
- Naked Capitalism
- CODEPINK for Peace
- CBS News
- Pentagon
- World Trade Center
- State Department
- Unitarian church
- National Cathedral
- Oracle at Delphi
- ICE
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Pentagon
- Iraq
- Iran
- Ukraine
- Russia
- China
- Persia
- Lydia
- Halys river
- Delphi
- Vietnam