Although there are always many factors in historical events, only Marxists throw away everything but the economic. Lincoln greeted Harriet Beecher Stowe saying she was the little lady that started the Civil War. The issue was human bondabe, not racism.
I totally agree. Beyond economics, religion played a major role in the anti-slavery abolition movement. Beyond religion, the institution clearly conflicted with the concepts of liberty and moral justice evident in the founding principles of the United States. Alternatively - Islamic fascism and pan-Arab nationalism are the cohesive forces trying to drive all but the Wests cash out of the Middle East. Its undeniable that energy economics are the primary reason the West is interested in the Middle East at all. Supporting universal liberty and the rule of law across the region are the only plausible plans to eliminate the threat emanating from the Middle East. The Bush Administration has it right. The status quo cannot continue. The incredible wealth transfer from the West to Middle Eastern leaders ill equipped to absorb such fiscal responsibility has to stop. Leaders there will have to start recycling petro-dollars in progressive instead of regressive ways. The American public especially our history teachers are an important part of the story. They are the ones who harbor the capacity to understand what is happening and articulate it, so that this and future US administrations have the latitude to do what must be done.