Stratfor: Analysis of the War on Terrorism Series:
Part 1 | Part II | UPDATE:Part III

"Al-Qa'ida does not expect to destroy the United States directly. It fully understands the severe limits on its resources. Rather, bin Laden's strategy is to force the United States into a series of actions that will destabilize the governments of Washington's Islamic partners and lead to their collapse. For instance, such an outcome could occur for Islamic countries that cooperate -- due to pressure by Washington -- with the U.S. campaign against terrorism."

A site called Starfor has started an ongoing series about the War on Terrorism. It's a rather chilling, but very sharp strategic analysis. Part II goes into detail about the options open to the US, and the risks of each one. It shows pretty clearly why the White House has taken the approach it has. This is a highly recommended article!

Thanks to Metafilter for the link.