A Terrorism Thought Experiment

Speaking at the Brussels Forum, Senator John McCain urged the world not to accept a "minimalist" outcome in Afghanistan. It follows an op-ed he co-authored with Senator Lieberman, arguing that the U.S. needs to wage a massive country-wide counter insurgency to shore up our interests.

It's worth stepping back and asking a fundamental question: imagine Sen. McCain gets his way. Imagine the best case scenario for both Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine a world where those outcomes have been achieved. Then ask: could another 9/11 still happen?