Oh yes, my narrative was horribly over-simplified, I won't deny that. To simplify it even more, I do think that the CIA poked their stick into the wrong hornet's nest more than once in the old colonies, in the name of east vs west Cold War justifications (Congo is another good example). But the lion's share of the blame is with the European countires post WW1, when they started dismanteling their colonies, as well as arbitrarily carve up the remains of the Ottoman Empire. A lot of Africa's and the Middle Easts' issues can be traced back to having new borders drawn across geographic and ethnic boundaries that had existed since centuries, if not millennia, and then pulling out, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Of course, the full reality of history is infinitely more complex than this, but from time to time I wonder how historians of the future will look back on the 20th and 21st centuries and interpret the 'simplified' patterns which we see now in the centuries past.
Anyway, you're right, back to painting, this is a discussion more suited for a lazy couch or a cozy bar.
