Bloodless Coup

Then why do they operate more out of Yemen than Saudi Arabia?

Errr, b/c Yemen is more like Pakistan and Kenya than Saudi is? Saudi is not a weak state - it's got well-funded and tightly organized internal security forces.

That's my point. If Al Queda prefers strong states, then why not operate out of Saudi Arabia more than Yemen?

Errr, the argument is that failed states present serious problems. Therefore they are to be avoided, ideally. But that hardly implies that all non-failed states present similar opportunities for such groups.

Is the concept of a curvilinear relationship new to you?

No, it looks like the coyote running off a cliff after the road runner, because despite a creative idea, there's no ground to support it. How is it ground breaking that if terrorists had the opportunity, they wouldn't operate out of a desert wasteland? The trouble is, most people who don't live in desert wastelands don't want to risk American smartbombs falling on their heads.

Well, most people don't have to risk it. We are less likely to bomb Kenya than Somalia after all.

But just to run through it once more. The study says that X class states (failed states), which the press and the administration often say are ideal havens for terrorists, aren't really ideal. So operating out of Y class states might be better for them. But of course there are a lot of Y class (non-failed) states, and some will offer more opportunities than others.

Whether or not you find it ground-breaking is up to you. But given the way the press and the Bush team tend to discuss failed states, I think it's an interesting finding.