Would the Taliban Follow Us Home?

Stephen Walt raises a number of good questions about whether Afghanistan would revert back to an al Qaeda safe haven if the U.S. withdrew. His fifth point seems the most salient:

Fifth, as well-informed critics have already observed, the primary motivation for extremist organizations like the Taliban and Al Qaeda is their opposition to what they regard as unwarranted outside interference in their own societies. Increasing the U.S. military presence and engaging in various forms of social engineering is as likely to reinforce such motivations as it is to eliminate them. Obama is hoping that a different strategy will eventually undercut support for the Taliban and strengthen the central government, but it is still an open question whether more American involvement will have positive or negative effects. If we are in fact making things worse, then we may be encouraging precisely the outcome we are trying to avoid.

How much of the American effort in Afghanistan is dedicated to fighting people who are fighting us simply because we're there? Clearly, al Qaeda elements inside Pakistan have a clear desire and demonstrated capacity to strike into the West (although that's been diminished since 9/11) but can the same be said of the Taliban?

(AP Photos)