The end objective of the 9.11 attacks was not to kill Americans, but to spur America to change policy, and withdraw all troops from predominantly Muslim countries. Policy change did occur, although not perhaps in the direction that the terrorists contemplated. America adopted a war on terror, and, as a result, ended up staging the country’s longest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The end results of the war on terror are far from clear, and won’t be for many years, but what is not debatable is that they cost America very dearly in both life and treasure. Almost 3,000 people died as a direct result of the 9.11 attacks, but far more died in the resulting US countermeasures; more than 6,600 US servicemen, and perhaps 130,000 Iraqi citizens and 18,000 Afghani citizens.

      The 9.11 attacks are a perfect example of one of the prime tenets of Valuism; How much easier it is to destroy value than to create it. The 9.11 terrorist attacks cost perhaps $400-$500,000, including planning over two years. They resulted in