[tobiasjodter]

Where is al Qaeda's war effort?

This argument also sucks. bin Laden and his terrorists are not a nation-state. Just a bunch of Western-hating terrorists. The purpose of terrorism is to strike terror in a flashy and dramatic way, not necessarily to wage an actual ground war.

[m1911]

But what was the purpose? Simple terror, a show for the people at home, kick off WWIII? I agree that the author is off base when he insists that the only war is two armies lined up across the field, but what did the masterminds hope to gain? Human nature demands motive. Not that I've ruled out simple hatred, but while we're constructing conspiracies, let's not leave any stone unturned.