The lies we believed about jihadism after 9/11

The lies we believed about jihadism after 9/11

From The Brink by The Brink

September 11, 2026 · 14 min · Season 1 · Episode 67

About this episode

Jake Wallis Simons reflects on the lessons learned from 9/11 and the West's confusion regarding its friends and enemies.

In this episode of View from the Brink, Jake Wallis Simons reflects on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and asks how the West has become increasingly confused about the difference between its friends and its enemies. Jake traces the consequences of September 11th through Afghanistan, Iraq, and the rise of jihadism, arguing that while the West fought Islamist extremism abroad, its propagandists became increasingly effective at exploiting Western institutions, social media, and the progressive left. Turning to October 7th and Israel, Jake argues that the response to the Hamas attacks exposed the scale of this information war, with misinformation spreading rapidly while sympathy for Israel collapsed. Twenty-five years after 9/11, Jake argues that the West must recover the confidence to recognise its enemies, defend its allies, and resist the propaganda designed to turn it against itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Jake Wallis Simons

Topics covered

  • 9/11
  • jihadism
  • misinformation
  • Western institutions
  • Israel
  • Hamas attacks
  • propaganda

Keywords

  • 9/11
  • jihadism
  • misinformation
  • Afghanistan
  • Iraq
  • Hamas
  • Israel
  • propaganda
  • Western institutions
  • social media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hamas

Places: Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, the West

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