Sixteen years ago, in the wake of the 9-11 attacks, I was convinced as were most people, that the lives of my infant and two year old would be defined by a world wracked by terrorism.
This isn't what happened. In the subsequent sixteen years, there has been more domestic terrorism in the U.S. than there has been Islamic terrorism, and phenomena like gun violence, police brutality, the gay rights movement, and global warming have all had more of an impact on my children's lives than the kind of terrorism that gave rise to 9-11.
Yes, the U.S. is still fighting the war in Afghanistan that begun with 9-11 and our involvement in Syria and Iraq at this point is justified by the same legal authority that provides a basis for the ongoing war in Afghanistan. But, those conflicts have remained "small wars" that have managed to remain at the periphery of American life.
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