I find the Middle East and Africa incredibly interesting.
There is always something going on. A vortex of eternal conflict.
Even when there’s a hard-ass running the show stability is still only superficial and extremely fragile- even though it may appear lasting.

Sidenote: Saddam is not the only hard ass, there have been tons of them, some of which we have openly supported even with knowledge of their blatantly committed transgressions (before 1980 Saddam was one of these, as were brutal authoritarian rulers in Congo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Syria…the list goes on) and others of which we directly helped to maneuver into power

These places are doomed to have a spectrum of discontent boiling beneath the surface with the ability to shatter any notion of stability at any given time.
Of course, being a spectrum and all, you have two extremes of discontent: crazies on one end and the mildly unhappy on the other
Everyone else falls in the gray area,
Until a crafty fox with some claim of credibility busts in and stirs everyone together.

The following are the most frequent types of foxes:

Cleric Fox: his claim is religion, his lure is the promise of paradise, conveying it so vividly that one starts to see it in the horizon

He is adept at inducing urgency, as if it will dissipate without immediate action, it is within reach, all that is required is action, and as an “authority” on the subject, he can articulate exactly what needs to be done to achieve salvation, some will need a little extra push: a slogan or two, but the rest will be so immersed in the ends that they will not care to justify the means

Prominent or Military Fox: his claim is a respected lineage, or status within his community or the military, he is more accessible then Cleric Fox but not as easily trusted, his only desire is to accumulate power, respect and minions

The People’s Fox: his claim is empathy, he emerged from the nucleus of society giving the common man a leader that he can identify with
He possesses unyielding magnetism, and is thus able to convince his people that because he is (or once was) one of them, he will do was is best for them, and therefore, is followed blindly

Setting that aside, I am drawn to the region because of its complexity
Its history, its present, and what is to come
But at the most basic level it fascinates me because it is plagued by perpetual strife
It’s only fitting that the cradle of civilization should convey a lot about mankind
How he relates to the world and nature, what he values, the role of violence and death, how he assimilates power and how these themes recur through time

But still, as much as the area can tell us, there is so much more that remains a mystery
It’s a place with very deep, very tangled roots
Most that will never see the light of day
And for all of those reasons, and for some that I don’t even know or understand, I will forever have a love affair with the greater Middle East