In the Muslim world, our problem isn't generally with the rulers. It's with the populace. The problem is mass literacy among the Muslim masses. Imams used to recite the usual pablum about being nice to your parents and not beating your wives (too vigorously) to a bunch of illiterates. Today, Muslims can read the Koran's fire-breathing, world-conquering, infidel-killing verses for themselves. So when the Shah started Westernizing the laws and education system to a newly-literate Iranian populace, the hoi polloi pushed back and put Khomeini in power. The Saudi royal family was in the process of liberalizing the kingdom, when it saw what befell the Shah. They quickly put their plans in reverse.
Note that dominant factions in both the Libyan and Syrian rebellions are Islamist. This is no accident. In Egypt and in Algeria, free elections led to Islamist majorities. In sum, we have a problem with Muslims, not Muslim leaders, who are moderates compared to the people they rule. Successful rebellions would put Muslim extremists in power.
“Note that dominant factions in both the Libyan and Syrian rebellions are Islamist. This is no accident. In Egypt and in Algeria, free elections led to Islamist majorities. In sum, we have a problem with Muslims, not Muslim leaders, who are moderates compared to the people they rule. Successful rebellions would put Muslim extremists in power.”
So the net effect of our involvement in the ME has been one big fat mess! We have removed criminal leaders and thereby left the door open to radical islamists. So we lost our own lives and treasure, and then left the scene and ISIS is the result. Saddam and Khadafi were preferable, in hindsight to the vacuum we left. I stil grapple with trying to understand what the world should do about Islam. Islam has not had a positive history with it’s attempts at trying to take over the world in the past, and now we’re faced with that prospect once again.