I think our significantly decreasing reliance on foreign energy has put the writing on the wall. Middle East countries used to pushing hundreds of billions in oil welfare and running surpluses will be in serious deficit and facing a decimated budget which will tank their economies. Perhaps the thinking is to revolt now before the money is all gone? With such a strikingly oil-centric economy, oil crashed from its high, steady technological progress making their fields increasingly irrelevant over time... Cities built on $140 oil will sink back into the sand. Seems to me massacring innocent French civilians only makes it happen faster.<p>We meddle a lot less overall in the Middle East the last 8 years than the prior 8, right? If we don&#x27;t then Russia steps up to do it themselves (for better or worse US has no leadership there anymore so maybe why not Russia give it a shot?)<p>In the end I personally don&#x27;t believe the massacre is in any way &quot;caused&quot; by US or other foreign involvement in the Middle East. This is not the first caliphate, nor will it be the last, and it&#x27;s not about righting wrongs or a struggle for independence, it&#x27;s literally about inflicting mass casualties on the infidels in as an atrocious and terrifying (i.e beheadings) manor as possible.<p>Over 100 murdered is a mind boggling atrocity but also a terrible security failure. Not just in failing to catch and prevent it, but failure to take out the shooters at the concert sooner. (I haven&#x27;t read a detailed account of how the shooters were stopped if there is one)