If I might toss a wee clod in the churn, there are those who look to the middle east (and other contemporary "hot spots" in the world) and see the footprint of British colonialism. Perhaps the collapse of British Colonialism may be more accurate. Boundaries for emerging political entities following the collapse of the Ottoman empire were drawn in such a way as to retain control by optimizing tension. The US is rather a "late comer" to the area.