Be careful of what you wish for

[Occhidiangela]

The usually razor sharp wit could use a slight touch up. :)

Maybe European Imperialism of the past 400 years?

Play the blame game and you run into a dead end. History moves forward. If Turkey can get off of the Caliphate dime in two generations, what excuse do the more civilized Arabs have?

With a dash of good old Christian 'stomp on the infidels' thrown in?

You are a few centuries late for the Reconquista and the Battle of Lepanto. Christians stomp on heretics and pagans, Moslems stomp in infindels. Or is that a Hollywood script convention? :o

And some of that practical foreign diplomacy called "Support the devil if he does what you want" ?

Politics has always made strange bed fellows, and it works both ways. The Saudis put up with Americans they really don't care much for to deal with their Saddam problem, the US and USSR joined hands to beat Hitler, and the Romans imported barbarians (Varangian Guard, anyeone?) whose support turned sour. For reaons known only to history, Italy joined up with Germany, and its foes, in the same war, two wars in a row. CLever lads, ended up on the winning side both times even after having their arses handed to them, once by Rommel, and once as Rommel's ally. :o

Allies are always on their own side, and help one another as far as their own interests make it useful to do so, per Chaing Kai Chek and Mao putting there civil war aside for a few years to deal with the Japanese and find ways to soak the Americans for support.

Or did you have some other answer in mind?

I think he was referring to the reactionary Musliim movement, but I may have read my own thoughts into his post.