It really goes back to overthrowing the iron-fisted dictators in the region. It wasn't perfect, but terrorist attacks worldwide were down, and had we just stayed out of the region, they likely wouldn't have been able to do much against us. I get Kuwait, but do we really need to have permanent bases throughout the Arabian peninsula? Do we really need to get ourselves involved in every dispute there? Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and Iraq all were safer before American and European intervention.
We need to stop playing neo-colonialist, we need to stop playing world police. The old ideas of democracy for everyone were naive. With peace to Benjamin Franklin, there is no freedom without security and stability.
Edit: With all that said, we live in the realities of today, and it's difficult to go back in time. My hearts and thoughts go out to Parisians, all French, and the Lebanese. Fortunately, those I know there are safe.