I respectfully disagree. The attacks on 9/11 were not war. They were theater. Spectacularly evil theater, but theater nonetheless.
The Western way of war, waged most successfully by the Romans, is methodical and scientific. Horror shows work only on those who give in to the horror. I refuse to believe that the US will surrender because we are freaked out.
They can do enormous damage, possibly. Especially if they get their hands on nukes, which is quite likely. Are they capable of defeating or destroying the US and its allies? Absolutely not!
Surrender to these people would only bring a chance for life in a world where death would be preferable.
The US did not bug out of Vietnam because of the horror. We left, because there was no plan for victory, just endless war. The attack on the WTC hasn't sent people into episodes of the vapors, even the people in the building at the time of the attack. Many remarked about the calmness, the steady response of people without panic without pushing and shoving of the 25,000 people from 80 countries, who climb down those dozens of storeys. And the US and Britain produced more horror than Hitler ever dreamt about. Ever hear about Dresden or Hamburg? This author is a complete doofus.