Likewise, I recall some people chiming in that the Arab world largely missed out on the massive death-and-destruction of World Wars One and Two, which so changed European attitudes toward warfare, and that it would be necessary for the mideast to experience some sort of similar shock to make the death-and-martyrdom stuff less appealing. In addition, it’s pretty clear that the places where Islamists are least popular — Iran, and now Egypt — are the places where they’ve wielded real power. Hence the strategy: Allow sectarian civil war to rage through the region until it burns itself out. Thanks to fracking, etc., we don’t need them as much for energy anyway.

Meanwhile, lots of terrorist-types are being killed. There are legitimate worries that the ones who survive will be more skilled — but the ones that don’t survive will be no threat at all. And the survivors may lose their enthusiasm after sufficient exposure.