Amen, Hogbrow! Every Western leader (leaning left or right) has known this since the end of WWII.  If we can extract oil & gas from the region with manageable collateral damage (i.e., terrorist attacks) then the west will only give lip service to caring about regional squabbles.  As North American production drives oil prices lower, we'll care less and less about Sunni, Shia, and Qatar.  Just put a fence around the perimeter to contain the conflict so they can they can fight it out locally.  We'll occasionally rage about "crimes against humanity" so that we can feel good about ourselves.  But in reality, most of us just don't care.  We are far more concerned about creating a local community where the next generation gets the tools to do great things, than we are about which royal despot prevails in a Middle East neighborhood grudge match.