It's also arguable that most of the winning in WWII had a lot to do with the Russians, but aren't credited with it in the american narrative. Particularly interesting was Japan's delayed response and surrender after the nukes, which goes to show these were not why they actually surrendered but helped to paint a post war narrative that allowed them to prosper more after losing.

Who did japan surrender to?

In what way do you consider the gulf war a failure?

Can I assume you're talking about the first one, stumbled into by Bush the Elder? Did we win that? When did we win it? Why didn't the troops come home then?

USA troops stationed in Arabia, as they have been since the beginning of that war, was the reason that ObL did the 9/11 attacks. Those attacks were good for lots of armaments manufacturers, but the were not in the American national interest.

Not true. 9/11 was the direct result of us interfering in Indonesia east Timor conflict 15 years earlier by stopping jihadis from wiping out christians.

OK, sure, ObL cared more about some island he'd never visited than about his home nation. Pull the other one, conspiracy theorist.

http://www.actmemphis.org/usama-bin-laden-1996-declaration-o...

Actually it's many many islands that host the largest population of Muslims in the world by nation. You're mistaken that this is a regional thing. Jihad is and always has been global.

Bin Laden published his list of reasons for masterminding 9/11, East Timor was not the reason. And Muslims do not have this insane worldwide unity you're implying.