[Alberta's Child]

The problem is that military action isn't likely to solve anything for Jordan. What they really need is stability in their neighboring countries. The biggest problem is that the U.S. has been the biggest threat to that stability for several decades. That message comes across loud and clear every time I've seen hi speak publicly.

I'm sure THAT is the subject of every meeting the King of Jordan has held with U.S. leaders for years.

[BeauBo]

I think that blaming America as the main cause of Middle-East instability is an over-reach - an over-simplification of a notoriously complex region. Many players, with many different agendas have had significant impacts.

The Soviet Union established client states (e.g. Syria) and revolutionary/terrorist movements (e.g. PLO) within the Region, and attempted for decades to de-stabilize governments to advance communist dictatorships in the region.

Arab Nationalists, like the Ba’ath parties (founded in the 1920’s), which were essentially Nazi ideologies with the Arab race instead of the Aryan race; conducted coups, installed dictatorships, and sought to take over their neighbors.

The Muslim Brotherhood, has actively sought to overthrow regimes in the region to install religious dictatorships, since WWII.

Bloody Sunni/Shia conflicts have characterized Islamic history from the time of the first generation of Islam. The rise of a Shia dictatorship in Iran has raised that conflict to perhaps the central conflict in the region today.

In their propaganda, ISIS pours more vitriol on the Shia than anything else - the Assad regime in Syria, and the Government in Iraq are majority Shia. Countering the rise of a Shia crescent from Iran, through Iraq and Syria to the sea; was a primary reason for the Sunni Gulf Arabs to fund these jihadis.

We get involved a lot because we have strategic interests in the region (oil supply, basing, naval control),and have allies who are often in need of assistance (e.g. Kuwait being invaded by Saddam, Israel under constant threat). Because we are such a dominant military, diplomatic, cultural and economic power; our actions do have a big effect, and big repercussions.

There have been some downsides to US involvement, and some unexpected consequences, but there have been significant upside contributions as well.

The region is inherently unstable. The Mid-East has suffered for some truly horrific leaders, from within their own population and culture.

If the US was the cause of most of their problems, why hasn’t the rest of the world suffered equally from such evil influence?

How can stability be achieved without militarily defeating the brutal ISIS army, bent on conquest?