[Marina]

I'm not an expert on religious extremism or the spread of Sharia. It seems the most virulent feed off grievances blamed on oppressive rulers, like the Saudis. We need the Saudis to keep the price of oil stable and can't risk disruption to supply. We also want buyers for the big defense contractors that sell to foreign militaries, like the Saudis, who have more toys than they know how to use. The people of the country are stuck. They have legitimate grievances that would normally be worked out through the democratic process.

We send diplomats and others to engage civil society. And we invest in our own defense to counter the threat of extremists. But we don't address the core issue at the strategic level.

I noticed Obama decided not to go the climate conference in Copenhagen. I also noticed the Saudis announced they would need financial assistance if the world agreed on some measures to reduce dependence on oil. That could be interpreted as appeasement.

It's about the oil. Follow the money. Cut off the transfer of wealth from the West to the Middle East, or, more practically, change the foreign government. Sharia is the Saudi's insurance policy on regime change. The genie would go back in the bottle if money stopped flowing to authoritarian Middle East despots.