But the roots of the current violence lie in the decades, indeed, centuries of deep seated Muslim resentment of the West. The current round is the by-product of an ongoing power struggle in the Middle East in the wake of the dramatic Arab Spring upheavals. 

Ever since Arabs rid their nations of autocrats that Washington long considered allies in  Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya, pragmatists and extremists have been battling for control - secularists against Islamists, pragmatic Islamists against radical groups and extremists.  These Arab civil wars are likely to rage for some time. At stake is the future of a region which despite its vast oil resources has slid further behind the West (and the East) in economic, political, and cultural competitiveness, according to the Arab Development reports based on World Bank data.

The US can affect the outcome of these power struggles through astute or ill-conceived policies, but only marginally.