In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded and occupied two countries, bombed four others, helped to create 21 million refugees and cause over 800,000 deaths, and spent over $6 trillion on combat and anti-terrorism measures.

In Reign of Terror, national security reporter Spencer Ackerman argues that the war on terror also profoundly destabilized American politics and helped to produce the Donald Trump presidency. He talks with Reason about how to stop the growth in government surveillance and military interventionism underwritten by overwrought fears of Islamic terrorism.