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US policy toward Israel ( and likewise , though its less talked about , some of the wealthy Gulf states , Saudi Arabia in particular ) is part of the problem ; while in the context of the Cold War , grabbing what toe-holds we could in the Middle East certainly had a kind of strategic logic , it was also an engine for anti-Americanism ( one well exploited , to be sure , by the propaganda efforts of the Soviet Union as well as regional rivals of the states the US supported ) in the region . Furthermore , the idea that , if not for oil , we could then leave the terrorists to fight among themselves is belied by all their attacks against the US and other western countries . I wish that upon this part of our subject we could end here ; but unfortunately there remains to be mentioned an afflictive mode of punishment most excruciating , and more hideous than any of which we have hitherto spoken , and which is still in use . In a summary why I think that made life easier , is that it created a boundary of order from which we could n't go beyond . We joined with other funders , like Intel , Microsoft , and the Hewlett , Noyce , and Packard foundations , so what we could scale up our efforts for greater impact .