The mastermind of the 9/11 attack that left America and the world stunned for months and years, Osama bin Laden had ties to the CIA years before. According to Wikipedia, Some analysts believe Bin Laden himself had security training from the CIA. It begs the question, is US foreign policy consistent and calculating for future global changes? This has been an area of study for me since the Vietnam War and the years my parents were US diplomats. I have often wondered if Pentagon and State Department officials have come to regret past decisions to get caught up in the foreign affairs of other countries. Yes, it would seem a highly noble goal to perpetuate democracy and peace around the globe, but at what price does US military might and resources get drawn into global conflict? And yet, bin Laden established al-Qaida, the group responsible for the attack on the World Trade Center towers. According to an aged report from NBC News, the “decision was made to provide potential enemies of the US with arms, money – and most importantly, the knowledge of how to run a war of attrition violent and well-organized enough to humble a superpower.” How do we ever have assurances our foreign policy matters are thoroughly calculated not to come back on us? Could 9/11 have been prevented?