Overview
- On September 11, 2001, Islamist hijackers flew four planes into U.S. targets, killing nearly 3,000 people and creating a global turning point.
- The attacks led the United States to launch the 'War on Terror', to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, and to pass laws that expanded surveillance and intelligence powers.
- The Netherlands aligned with international counterterror efforts, enlarged its intelligence capacity, and created the Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid (NCTV) in 2012.
- Dutch experts now say the long‑term results include wars, regional instability, reputational damage, and loss of privacy, a critique summed up as producing 'only losers'.
- A large EenVandaag survey of over 24,000 respondents finds 77 percent view 9/11 as a turning point and 55 percent think a major attack in the Netherlands is likely, highlighting lasting social fear and increased polarisation.