> It makes sense to remember that all these countries were just fine very recently The entire Middle East was colonized and f_cked up over a century by the US,

> It makes sense to remember that all these countries were just fine very recently The entire Middle East was colonized and f_cked up over a century by the US, UK, and France. I'm sorry that I can't visit these countries now, but (assuming you are a white Westerner) to say that they were "fine" and then blame them for current problems - is a bit steep. You should spend more time talking to non-white people from non-white countries. Just this afternoon I was chatting about global affairs with an economist from an Asian country, and although he is quite "liberal," his educated and very-well-informed point of view on global conflict is very different from what you'll read in American newspapers.