“The sitting prime minister, Jose Aznar, who had strongly backed the U.S.-led Iraq War, was unseated by a challenger who then pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq. The Madrid terrorist attacks are generally regarded as being the key to why Aznar, who had been leading in the polls, was defeated.”

American journalist and national security analyst Bergen is a leading voice on terrorism and geopolitics, known for his work as CNN’s chief national security correspondent and as a senior director at the New America Foundation. His books and reporting have shaped public understanding of conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond.