(TLP:CLEAR) CTC Sentinel – September 2026: 25 Years after 9/11, Concerns about Terrorism and WMDs Reemerge

Summary: The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point published its “Sentinel” magazine for September 2026. This latest issue marks the 25^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with insights from terrorism experts and scholars, including Peter Bergen, who famously produced the first televised interview of Osama bin Laden in March 1997.

Analyst Note: In his piece, Bergen examines the long history of concern surrounding terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the post-9/11 years and considers whether, given the current accessibility of extraordinary technologies and capabilities, it is more justified today than ever before. Developments in and increased access to artificial intelligence (AI) contribute to this concern, given this technology may provide terrorists with the information they need to execute attacks that previously would have been beyond their capabilities. As much as things have changed since 2001, AI could help make the old become new again, with a need to address terrorists’ ability to conduct WMD attacks potentially returning as a priority.

Terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins and terrorism scholar Dr. Martha Crenshaw authored the other 9/11 anniversary articles. For the first, Jenkins reflects on the lessons learned from the Global War on Terror and how they might apply to the U.S.’s current fight against Latin America’s drug cartels. Somewhat relatedly, in a separate article Sandra Pellegrini provides a data-driven overview of the shifting criminal landscape in Mexico. For Dr. Crenshaw’s piece, she discusses the evolution of the terrorism studies field since 9/11 and reflects on its current focus.

Original Source: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/september-2026/

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