Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: The More People Change, The More We Stay the Same

Politicians often speak as though the world has been transformed. America is now the world’s largest oil producer. Electric vehicles were growing in popularity. Yet, a closer look suggests underlying realities that shaped 9/11 remain surprisingly intact.

The United States became the world’s largest exporter of petroleum products in 2026, reaching roughly 10.5 million barrels per day. At the same time, as gas prices rose, electric vehicle registrations reached only 7.9% of U.S. auto sales. Before the $7,500 New Clean Vehicle (and $4,000 used) tax credits expired on September 30, 2025 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) jumped to a record 12% of light-duty vehicle sales. By December 2025 and moving into 2026, U.S. EV market share plummeted to just 6%. BEVs went from making up 31% of luxury vehicle sales in Q3 2025 down to 12% in Q3 2026. As a result of President Trump ending these credits, our overwhelming majority of transportation still depends on petroleum. The global economy remains tied to oil and gas much as it was a generation ago.

Syria’s story is particularly revealing

According to Oilprice.com, Syria’s government has taken control of key energy assets, including the Omar oil field and the Tabiyeh gas complex, while pursuing agreements to nationalize the country’s energy sector. What stands out is not the rise of private enterprise but the restoration of state control. That model would not look unfamiliar to observers of the Middle East before 9/11.

Osama bin Laden emerged from Saudi Arabia, a country whose prosperity was built on oil wealth managed through a highly centralized state system. Bin Laden was absolutely a product Saudi Arabian authority that has long been intertwined with control of energy resources and took his citizenship, forcing him to live in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Twenty-five years later, Syria is not becoming a laboratory for laissez-faire capitalism. Instead, it’s reassembling state authority over oil production. The government is planning major energy projects, coordinated through national development strategies. Even Syria’s most ambitious vision reflects traditional Socialist realities. Politicians want the country to link Persian Gulf producers to the Mediterranean and European markets. Analysts cited in today’s Oilprice article describe Syria as a Muslim “land bridge” that could bypass checkpoints such as the Strait of Hormuz. Again, the central issue is not ideological transformation but control and geography.

Dominant post-9/11 narratives suggest the Middle East underwent a fundamental political and economic transformation. Today’s Oilprice article points in another direction: Government controls the economy. Oil and gas remain the foundation of economics; foreign powers continue to aspire hydrocarbon growth, despite advances in renewable energy.

The lesson from Syria’s comeback may not be that the post-9/11 world is radically different. It may be that after decades of war, sanctions, and upheaval, the region is returning to a familiar pattern: State-controlled energy and a continuing reliance on oil to power economies.