McChrystal: ‘Impossible to Argue’ War on Terror Was Worth It

‘fundamental mistakes’

In his new book, “Reign of Terror,” Spencer Ackerman lays out how Trump understood the nativist power of the 9/11 era better than the elites who built a war around it.

Contributing Editor

Published Aug. 8 2021 4:58AM EDT

210807-Ackerman-Reign-of-Terror-tease_d4o5oi — Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

In November 2020, as he deceitfully insisted he had won re-election, Donald Trump gestured at ending the Afghanistan war. He purged several senior Pentagon appointees and installed as acting defense secretary a thematically apt choice.

The new acting secretary was a longtime counterterrorism figure named Chris Miller.

Spencer Ackerman

Contributing Editor

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McChrystal: ‘Impossible to Argue’ War on Terror Was Worth It

In his new book, “Reign of Terror,” Spencer Ackerman lays out how Trump understood the nativist power of the 9/11 era better than the elites who built a war around it.

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Spencer Ackerman