Does Al Qaeda Know US?

This report by CBS News provides food for thought.

Al Qaeda plans more attacks in Europe, but why? Their strategy surely involves splitting off the few allies or potential allies of the U.S.A. If they can work it right, attacks in Europe will succeed as they did in Spain -- they will persuade the Europeans to hunker down and hope to be left alone.

Al Qaeda has for several months been sending its men out of Afghanistan, but why? The Taliban can maintain the level of violence needed to discourage Americans -- and can do so without appearing to be anything other than a local resistance to the fledgling democratic republic which the U.S.A. and our allies support. The propaganda value of an indigenous "resistance" will help Al Qaeda persuade Americans to abandon all hope in Afghanistan.

Many people talk of the "lessons of Vietnam." Al Qaeda leaders apparently believe they understand lessons of Vietnam that are useful to them.

They want western governments to abandon the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Splitting off Europe from the U.S.A. and convincing Americans that Afghans (and Iraqis) are a lost cause would tend to produce the isolationist sentiments in America and Europe that Al Qaeda wants.

If Al Qaeda really does know us, they won't attack us within our own borders for a while. They will kill our armed forces personnel when they can overseas, since that may persuade us to bug out. They won't give us reason to come after them with a vengeance again -- until they are ready.