The problem is that the royals haven’t been so faithful to the US as many believe, and their kingdoms seem to be fantastically effective breeding grounds for the sort of disaffected young Muslims who are likely to fly aeroplanes into buildings.

It really is quite impossible to miss the policy shift, in my opinion. Past US presidents followed a realpolitik strategy of “stability at all costs”, which meant that the US actually preferred strong-man dictators in the ME, as it kept everything seemingly stable and easier to manage. Over the last few years though, and especially after 9/11, the US government has come to realise that the old policy brings neither security nor real stability. Liberal democracy, on the other hand, is a system far more likely to result in peace and stability than a dictatorship is. Not only does it provide a constructive outlet for the majority of those who become frustrated and alienated, but it results in a far less belligerent outlook – thus far no liberal democracy has ever declared war on and invaded another liberal democracy.