9/11 25th Anniversary: A personal reflection

Washington DC 9/11/2026

Every September 11th, we say the same four words: never forget. This week’s essay from The National Security Desk — on the Civil War II Substack — takes those words seriously enough to ask what they actually cost us. It lays out a theory of how nations lose power: not through weapons, but through legitimacy, and what happens when a government spends that down to zero. Then it applies the theory to the last twenty-five years — the forever wars, the debt, and a rally stage in Dallas two nights ago where the essay says something was sworn that hasn’t been sworn in this country before. Whether you agree with where it lands or not, it’s a serious argument, sourced and footnoted, from someone who’s been tracking this for years. Read “9/11 25th Anniversary: A Personal Reflection” at civilwarii.substack.com — and if it’s worth your time, the newsletter runs on reader support.

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