The fallout from the September 11 attacks and the US war on Iran has reopened debate over the cost of US security and military policies, as farmers suffer mounting losses and fertilizer supplies are disrupted, alongside deepening divisions within the Republican and Democratic parties ahead of the midterm elections.
The cost of post-September wars
A Brown University study found that the wars waged by the United States after the September 11 attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria killed about 940,000 people, including more than 7,000 US troops. The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the lengthy war in Afghanistan, culminating in the withdrawal of US forces in 2021, also had political repercussions in the United States, with their fallout contributing to declining trust in the US government and international norms.
Former CIA analyst Cindy Storer said the United States had not necessarily become safer nearly a quarter-century after the attacks, arguing that the responses to the shock had produced negative consequences at home and abroad. She added that terrorism was no longer viewed as the greatest threat by many Americans, who now consider China the leading future threat.
Storer warned against basing security policies on inaccurate assumptions about other countries’ intentions, because the resulting chain reactions could be difficult to stop. Former US diplomat Alan Eyre said the shock of September 11 had led US institutions to treat many issues as security crises, with excessive reliance on military force.
Eyre argued that economic and military power did not enable the United States to engineer societies or impose regime change, calling for greater reliance on diplomacy and an understanding of other cultures.
Mounting pressure on farmers
Economically, the US war on Iran has cast a shadow over the agricultural sector as global fertilizer supplies are disrupted, with about one-fifth passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimated that major-crop farmers would lose about 31 billion dollars this year, forecasting losses of 32 billion dollars in 2027.
Congress is preparing an aid package that could reach tens of billions of dollars to ease the impact of the war and higher production costs. Hansen said, however, that the expected aid would not cover all losses, noting that its disbursement schedule posed a challenge for farmers who need to buy fuel and agricultural supplies at specific times.
Hansen criticized the United States’ reliance on foreign markets for some agricultural inputs despite its energy-sector capabilities. He said oil companies were rushing to raise prices to pass additional transportation costs on to the domestic market, adding to the pressure on agricultural producers.
Divisions within both parties
Politically, divisions have gone beyond the traditional rivalry between Republicans and Democrats to emerge within both parties. Greg Swenson, head of Republicans Overseas UK, said the shift within the Republican Party predated Donald Trump’s rise and began with the emergence of the Tea Party in 2009. He said Trump had revived principles including economic freedom, reduced government intervention and “peace through strength.”
In the Democratic Party, adviser Brad Bannon said the progressive wing included younger groups and took more liberal positions on healthcare and foreign policy. He added that progressives were more sympathetic to Palestinians in Gaza than traditional Democrats, who tended to support Israel.
The next contest is expected to focus on the identity of the two parties, the future of the conservative movement and the progressives’ place within the Democratic Party, as well as the repercussions of Middle Eastern wars. Bannon said the war did not have broad support among US voters, and that views of Trump and his level of popularity would be key factors in shaping the 2028 elections.
