[odds]

>>>”For about a century American policy supported dictators until we suddenly supported the so-called Arab Spring.”<<<

I don’t know why many people see the start of this mess from 2011 “Arab Spring”. Maybe because of ‘recency effect’.

Essentially, the toppling of ME, (secular) ‘dictators’ began with the Shah in Iran in 1978-79.

This was followed by radicalisation of what was called mujahedin, during Soviet invasion in the 1980s, a faction of which turned into Taliban in Afghanistan, as we know it from around 1995. The US didn’t have any major issues during most of the 1990s with the Taliban (who were officially recognised by Saudi Arabia, UAE and Pakistan), until 9/11.

Then came the overthrow of Saddam in 2003, and the rest is history..

The milestones are: Khomeini in Iran, Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam’s removal, Arab Spring of 2011, removal of Ghaddafi, toppling of Mobarak, and lately the attempt to remove Assad, when it’s very clear the replacement will most likely be an Islamist regime in Syria.

[Gen.Blather]

“I don’t know why many people see the start of this mess from 2011 “Arab Spring”. Maybe because of ‘recency effect’.”

I agree with your timeline. I see the so-called “Arab Spring” as important because Obama wholly supported it perhaps in the fantasy that it would make things better. More likely, though, he understood it would accelerate the Jihad.

[TigerLikesRooster]

It may be that, when things are about to be contained, he came along and let the gate wide open. Fire has been burning but he poured large amount of gasoline over it.