The counter-terrorism objective is more inherently plausible than that of political stabilization, and domestic politics in the US, Australia, and elsewhere probably require the prominence that it has received from Western leaders. To the extent that their breeding ground can be destroyed, as Al Qaeda’s was in Afghanistan, there will be fewer newly minted terrorists to worry about.
反恐目标比政治稳定目标具有更大的内在合理性，而美国、澳大利亚和其他国家的内政或许也需要反恐目标所得到的西方领导人的重视。恐怖分子的大本营不是不能摧毁——阿富汗基地组织就是明证——因此不必担心滋生新的恐怖分子。