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Depends on the terrorist. Some organizations want to bring about the end of western influence in the middle east, some are delusional and think they will rule the world.

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That's true, but relatives killed by Western powers make the survivors fairly ripe for recruitment into anything that feels like retribution.

We started this mess. Recall that we were told that after we get rid of Saddam, that Iraq will become a shinning example for the rest of the ME, and the world. That the guy was such a bad guy that the world will be a far better place without him.

The mess was started a long time age when the Allies stuffed up the breakup of the Ottoman Empire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement

It is, of course, easy to be wise long after the event.

While it's tempting to look for a single, recent starting point for Western-Muslim issues, it's also worth mentioning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Martel (about 1200 years earlier). And then, >350 years later, there's the crusades.

... or when the Mongols brought about the end of the Golden Age of Islam. ;)

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