IF we had never put our troops

[serryjw]

in Saudi Arabia during the first gulf war would any of this have happened? All the attacks including first WTC, '98 embassies and USS Cole where in response to US being on Holy soil.Did we have any problems with Islamic fundamentalism in the 80's??

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. The Iranian hostage crisis comes to mind.

[alvarezadams]

5. I'll counter

your hostages with Operation Ajax.

Things don't happen in a vacuum and there is such a thing as "cause and effect".

[babylonsister]

2. There were pockets of people who didn't/don't like the US, but

not to the extent there are now. And I still don't know whether to blame it on (Bushh) collusion with the Saudis or not. I think the vitriol fed to the masses encouraged the American backlash but am not sure where it came from.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. We (The West) have been screwing with the Middle East since 1914

Several generations have reason to despise us.

http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/world_war_i_and_the_early_mandat.htm

[The2ndWheel]

4. Something else would've happened

Something always happens when you have expanding centers of power. When they meet, something happens. If it wasn't bin Laden and some troops in a specific place, it would've been some other guy, or state, or something, for some reason. It's never going to stop.

[alvarezadams]

6. It certainly won't stop

as long as there isn't any justice.