I think the article in the original post is actually pointing to events that accelerated and encouraged the current problems in the middle east OUTSIDE the long running Israel <->"Palestinian" conflict. The article is correct, for the most part, however it fails to take into account events prior to and after the events in mentioned the article. Although I have nearly boundless respect and admiration for Ronald Reagan, his pullout of Beruit was a major mistake, not of the proportions of Carter's many errors, but still a major mistake. Further still there is the unwillingness to pull out the stops and finish the job in southeast asia. So we have what amounts to a series of events, some much worse than others, that lead our enemies to believe there is a serious lack of will to fight and win, and in all honesty, their belief is not completely unfounded.
As a side note, I give Carter plenty of credit for his work with Sadat, who ended up paying with his life for his attempt at peace with Israel. However, Carter's actions of the last decade or so have done much to make the situation worse, enough to negate most of the success he achieved with Sadat and Egypt.
