The Arab World before Islamism

[abaris]

I'm not disagreeing with your analysis or timeline but you left out one significant factor.  The insertion of Israel into the mix in 1948.  Terribly de-stabilizing.

Of course, but it's well to remember there were two key elements leading to the actual rise of Islamism. One the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and us supporting the rebels at all cost. Regardless what they stood for. Bin Laden rose from the ruins of that war, among others, such as the Taliban. And secondly the first Intifada, which lead to Palestinians switching from being a rather leftist movement to a religious one.

You could also add the revolution in Iran, but since we're hardly faced with any Shiite terror it's secondary for that kind of evaluation.