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Joana Cook highlights that women are linked up with terrorism and counterterrorism, providing a detailed description of women’s visibility in the US patriotic counterterrorism speeches, with a special attention attached to presidential speeches about women’s contributions to counterterrorism through the administrations of Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump. Cook also provides a trajectory of women’s participation in counterterrorism initiatives following the 9/11 Attacks of 2001. The US administration has set women’s status in Afghanistan as a gauge of success. Equally important, Cook discusses that it is critically important not to create any gray and foggy areas between the efforts made for woman empowerment and the goals set for counterterrorism, noting the overlap between these two areas, especially with regard to the exploitation (grievance) of Afghan women to support the cause of war.