a question for hannah

prior to 9/11 the foreign policies of western states toward the middle east was one of realpolitik and cold war balancing. as there were no good guys for the u.s. to ally themselves to, we tended to support the least worst of the available options: supporting tinpot autocrats who promised to keep a check on terrorists, maintained the flow of oil to world markets, and didn't threaten israel (the only genuine liberal democracy in the region). however, this "deal" proved untenable when terrorists, succored by our "allies" in the region, attacked the west. since then we've tried to "make the world safe for democracy" and civilize them by force. but they're proving quite resistant to civilization. in fact, in the case of iran, they're more barbarous than ever. so which way now? you're studying the region. what policy should we adopt that guarantees stability, oil, israeli security, inhibits terrorism, and isn't injurious to western economic and strategic interests?