I try not to venture into these sorts of debates; I'm normally here to talk guns. But...
I'm not sure blame games help us. Who started it? Have a look at the great middle eastern carve ups by the allies following WWI. Have a look at the tussle between Russia and England in the late 19th C. Have a look at who the CIA has supported in the past 30-40 years, and then wonder why US and allied servicemen are being sniped at with .50 Barrets in those places...
Who started it? When? It might be a bit too simplistic to say they did, when inter-generational circumstance and post-colonial legacies have bred deep seated hatreds of us and our way of life.
RG