Why would AQ attack Cuba? It may be a Secular Hell of Godless Communism (which Wahabis and Islamist extremists hate), but it's not encroaching, corrupting, and destroying the Islamic homeland the way that Western globalizing neo-liberal capitalism is.
And what is the "North American Leftist" attitude toward terrorism? It seems there's a "specious generalization" implied here. Of whom are you speaking?
For my part, I'm totally opposed to terrorism, whether it's pro-imperialist (like the Bush strategic bombing of Baghdad) or obstensibly anti-imperialist (some idiotic nut blowing up the White House). I see "terrorism" as involving a strategy of taking war to the civilians. As such it's a strategy that prevents civilians from uniting themselves to fight dominant forces such as Bush or Saddam. -- Jim Devine "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" -- Richard Feynman