The Middle East – or what should more accurately be called West Asia – is a pivotal region of the globe. It is home to the primary source of the planet’s most important commodity: oil. Not coincidentally, it is also the epicenter of global conflicts. Since 9/11, the United States has launched a series of attacks on sovereign nations, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Libya, Syria and beyond. These wars have left the region beleaguered and broken. But recently, as American power wanes, a new set of