For the past century, the most important question asked by people in the middle east has been, &quot;Why does the West have so much, and we have so little? Why are we always defeated politically, unable to rise to the stature of the West in every way?&quot;<p>In the decades the followed the fall of the Ottoman empire), Arab nationalism ascended, and it answered this question with, &quot;socialism and the formation of mighty nation-states will allow us to gain parity with the West materially, and then surpass it&quot;. For a multitude of reasons, this movement delivered neither military success nor material prosperity and became increasingly abandoned following the humiliation of the Six-Day War in 1967.<p>The replacement for Arab nationalism was a sharp turn toward religion on every topic, and in every aspect of life. The question became, &quot;the West has material prosperity, but that is fleeting and an affront to God. furthermore it is no replacement for the riches of the hereafter.&quot;<p>This shift was no random accident - in fact, it was decades in the making prior to 1967. For more on that, read about the life and times of Sayyid Qutb. Prior to his death in 1966, he played a crucial intellectual role in shaping the Muslim Brotherhood.<p>An account of these shifts defies explanation in simple economic and&#x2F;or material terms. Crises serve only to create gaps for whatever ideology has already taken root to rise to the fore. Ideology itself, that is, <i>answers to pressing questions of the day</i>, and <i>coherent, integrated views of the world</i> (even if they are wrong), is what ultimately drives all historical events, not the other way around.