Peter Hitchens marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by arguing that the attacks were used as a pretext to usher in an era of state surveillance, curtailed civil liberties and stifled dissent across the Free World. He contends that fundamental legal protections, such as the right to silence and the rule against double jeopardy, were eroded amid the panic following the attacks, and that ordinary citizens now passively accept invasive security measures, such as airport body scanners, as normal.

Hitchens contrasts the pre-2001 era, which he recalls as one of relative freedom and lightness, with what he sees as 25 years of growing repression, war and censorship. He draws parallels with earlier eras of terrorism, including hijackings that pressured the West over Yasser Arafat and IRA bombings that led to concessions such as the removal of station litter bins, arguing that the West ultimately caved to some of the 9/11 hijackers' demands, including reducing support for Israel and withdrawing troops from Saudi Arabia.