ABSTRACT
The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, transformed US foreign relations virtually overnight. President George W. Bush proclaimed a “global war on terror” (GWOT) and launched US military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Both wars proved costly and inconclusive. President Barack Obama continued the GWOT with a lighter US “footprint” on the ground as he pursued a graduated withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Obama continued US bombing and expanded the scope of the terror wars through increased drone attacks and targeted assassinations.
