Why should this be the &quot;most controversial theory&quot;? Have we already forgotten what triggered the Arab Spring, and consequently the power vacuum that created the IS?<p>The only thing off, as far as I can tell, is the remark that &quot;economic deprivation and the horrors of wars [...] benefited only a select few of the region&#x27;s residents.&quot; I&#x27;m not sure if this is the WP mis-reading Piketty, but he makes it pretty clear in Capital that war benefits no one, especially the super-rich. It&#x27;s not like the Arab aristocracy were itching for multiple revolutions that called into doubt the existing power structures.