Value of Space

I think this is right regarding terrorist save havens.

Here is where I disagree. Clearly training camps are not of paramount importance to terrorist groups, and the Internet provides a fluid and almost risk free way to communicate both ideologically and personally, and physical safe havens are not as vital to many aspects of the terrorist threat as they were before 9/11. But it misses a key point to dismiss their importance to the degree Pillar does.

Almost all the personal ties and connections that were formed among those who have carried out different terrorist attacks took place because the actors had a place where they meet each other, understand they were not alone in their vision of jihad, and build relationships of trust.

This is fundamental to any cadre, and something that virtual exchanges simply cannot replace. The meetings in the hotel rooms and apartments were possible because of the bond of trust forged in a broader common experience.

This is why I do not advocate a full pull out of Afghanistan. If these camps ever get going again (although I assume they have some camps somewhere), they need to be burnt to the ground by our pilot-less drones dropping all sorts of reckless explosives. As long as we keep our intel in shape, the camps from not operating, and WMDs out of their hands for 40 more years or so, this current group of jihadis will die out and we'll win a war of attrition.