The way that the U.S. runs the Middle East is very similar to the way that the British Raj was administered in India. A relatively small class of administrators balance a bunch of fractious principalities against one another other with occasional resort to military force, and at least partly with the purpose of helping maintain an extractive set of economic relationships. Just like in Britain the empire only benefits a small class of elites and has limited impact or support from the broader population. Unlike the British variant the U.S. Raj has the added characteristic of zealous ideological support from a subset of people who view it as a religious mission, and are even willing to sacrifice some degree of their material interests to continue pursuing it. The British Raj continued for well over a century and only collapsed when the external shock of World War II made it no longer possible for Britain to hold onto its imperial possessions. The collapse also resulted in an elevated level of short-term chaos and violence, although the resulting equilibrium was ultimately better for all involved.