I sat down with investigative journalist and author Richard Miniter to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Richard has spent decades reporting national security and foreign policy issues and has interviewed Islamist radicals, intelligence officials, and others across the globe.
We get into:
Why political radicalism and terrorism attract elites
How Western life radicalized Mohamed Atta and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Osama Bin Laden’s trajectory from construction tycoon heir to jihadist
How terror cells use hazing intermarriage to lock in commitment
The problem with Ron Paul’s “blowback” theory of Islamic terrorism
How bureaucratic turf wars left America vulnerable on 9/11
The PATRIOT Act and the limits of 4th Amendment rights
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Check out Richard Miniter’s work at Zenger News: https://zenger.news/
Check out Richard’s books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JOWHF2?ccs_id=dcb9f8b6-c904-4dfb-b199-cc8d15600bca
Outline:
[0:00] Why do people become terrorists?
[7:56] Who was Mohamed Atta?
[17:48] Who was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?
[26:58] Ramzi Yousef and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
[32:27] 9/11 wasn’t as ideological as we think
[36:00] Who was Osama Bin Laden?
[42:53] Work, terrorism, and a sense of purpose
[47:44] What really motivated Bin Laden?
[49:43] The psychology of terrorism
[1:03:29] The rise of the Red-Green Alliance
[1:11:47] Theology is the center of every civilization
[1:22:14] Terrorism is a political technology
[1:25:40] Living through 9/11 and turning to Ron Paul
[1:34:32] Did our government allow 9/11 to happen?
[1:48:29] The American and Soviet fight over Afghanistan
[1:52:33] America’s longterm conflict with Iran
[2:02:13] Bureaucratic tenure makes bad policy
[2:07:56] Is the PATRIOT Act unconstitutional?
[2:22:01] COVID permanently changed our society
[2:26:52] What did 9/11 mean for American society?
[2:33:03] Do young people really hate the country?
[2:39:39] Pragmatism, ideology, and incentives
[2:46:19] Can we avoid religious war?
[2:50:30] Utilitarianism contradicts human nature
[2:56:19] Can Islam be compatible with America?
[3:07:30] Immigration and assimilation in 2026
[3:12:31] Dad’s job is to tell kids the truth
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