So, just so I got this straight...

[quaker bill]

34. Feudalism with a modernized military

is not pretty at all. There is no end of things to object to about it. It was perfectly objectionable in the bronze age and has not improved with time. It is unclear whether it is more deadly now than it was then. It is clear that the carnage and destruction is faster and more efficient now, but in the past they were perfectly willing to take the time to complete the task.

We cannot pick a "good guy", because at depth there really isn't one. There may be a side which is somewhat less adverse, but that is as far as it goes.

Saddam was effective and in control because whenever something like ISIS began to form, he gassed them or rounded up the leaders and their families for torture and summary execution. It was feudalism with one large and overpowering ruler. Now we have feudalism with smaller and underpowered leaders vying for control. Once one group gets large enough to overpower the rest, things will get more quiet again, not necessarily in a good way, but more quiet.

There is no conspiracy, things are just the way they have been for centuries, except that who the next powerful dictator (feudal lord) will be has not been sorted out yet. We appear to have a preference.