Islam is hugely important for explaining the failures of the US and Soviet Union in being able to exercise influence in the region. It provided ideological resi

Islam is hugely important for explaining the failures of the US and Soviet Union in being able to exercise influence in the region. It provided ideological resistance to the spread of communism which largely explains communism's failure in the region[1]. It played a role in the overthrow of the US-friendly Shah in Iran, and that's in small part because it is a non-secular religion and so it can easily substitute for nationalism (although those two get intertwined) as a mobilizing political force. It's played a large role in the failure of US policy in Iraq post-Saddam, due to the sectarian conflict brewing between the now-dominant Shia and the Sunnis who feel displaced in society following the purging of anyone that was aligned with the Baathists. Although it's still an open question in my mind whether it's just a regular tribal marker (similar to national or ethnic identity) or if it is something beyond that. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/opinion/muslim-communism.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/opinion/muslim-communism....