Interesting analysis! I think, however that were this to actually happen as soon as we could identify concretely any nation-state as falling into an AQ camp status, with nuke capabilities, we could do a pre-emptive strike to degrade the threats. Not having a base of ops within a country "openly friendly" to their cause has been their strength and what has hobbled us in the past. Thus it would never get to a WWIII or WWIV stage before we acted rather decisively to take them out. Of course, this presupposes that we are capable of acting as a world super power. IF we have been pulverized and shattered from within by multiple nuke strikes first...well then it's a whole new ball game, right?
Remember this car bomb in Tennessee in July?
The latest info - no one is talking:
Experts still quiet on car bomb blast-Sunday 8/22/04
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/08/56261967.shtml?Element_ID=56261967
Thats a great point.
If we were reduced in power from the world stage, this could happen.
That may be the whole reason behind striking the US first, then gaining steam in the Middle East.
No matter what they did, however, they couldnt reduce our strategic triad capability, and thats what counts. We could salvo them at any time, and they know it.
Then we need to do up Iran now.