Has AQAP Traded Terrorism for Protection?

As I've often said before, some of the most interesting stories to come across my desk are those from abroad that the U.S. mainstream media has failed to pick up. A recent article by Norwegian news outlet Verdens Gang (VG) only reminded me of that fact when it reported it had been in contact with an unidentified member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The piece, written by Erlend Ofte Arntsen, raised some interesting points -- not least of which was the suggestion that the Yemeni al Qaeda franchise has set aside its mission of conducting attacks in the West....