Trial by Fire

As Barack Obama settles in for his second term as U.S. president, one of his key goals is to turn the page on the disastrous decade that followed 9/11. Many Americans seem to share his wish. It was striking how low key were the ceremonies last September marking the 11th anniversary of the attacks. It was as if history was finally trying to comprehend the wider picture. For many people, it seemed, maybe for the first time, September 11, 2001, no longer symbolized only the horrific events of that one awful day, but also the horrendous legacy of the many awful days that have followed. These have been the days when more than 7,000 American military men and women, and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, have fallen.

Thankfully, the story of the decade or so since 9/11 is gradually being rewritten as new information emerges. This is particularly important...