> The response to 9/11 seems so disproportionate because it presupposed the existence of thousands more plots, which never materialized. Did they not? There ha

> The response to 9/11 seems so disproportionate because it presupposed the existence of thousands more plots, which never materialized. Did they not? There have been several attacks by al-Qaeda on foreign targets annually since 9/11, most of which targeted the US or its allies. I think it's reasonable to assume there were many more plots that either didn't materialize or did materialize and were halted. While I don't support the measures because I still believe they are disproportionate (at least in the US), there certainly isn't a complete lack of a threat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Al-Qaeda_attacks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Al-Qaeda_attacks