Long Tradition of 'Supporting Totalitarian Dictators in Middle East'

A report indicated that at least 484 civilians were killed in Syria and Iraq since 2014.
He said that the numbers are probably substantially higher, but the real problem is that the entire extended families of the dead will now see the West and specifically the US as their enemy. If the US are trying to win hearts and win minds, this is not how you do it.
He added that the US does not necessarily take responsibility for those killed and they have changed the definition of a civilian and of a combatant. 
In response to the US Defense Secretary saying that civilian deaths in war are a "fact of life", he said that American officials don’t see children and people in the Middle East like they see their own children and people. 
He added that in fighting terror, whether Daesh or Al-Qaeda, you are actually fighting a philosophy and bombs killing people will not stop this organization. It would rather grow and expand because the underlying causes that drive people into terror are not addressed.
Philosophically speaking, one of the problems the US never faced is that they’ve supported totalitarian dictators throughout the Middle East, from Egypt (with Mubarak) and in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and in other parts of Southeast Asia.
Gerald Horne, an author and historian added that we need to realize is that Donald Trump, despite his campaign rhetoric, is not the isolationist and proved it with cruise missile attacks on Syria in April. He reassured the Liberal interventionist sector of the US ruling elite that he was not an isolationist. 
He is also ramping up tensions with Iran as indicated by his trip to Saudi Arabia some days ago. That is to say to the extent that Iran is supporting the Damascus-based regime; by attacking Syria he is sending a signal that ultimately he wants to attack Iran.
He added, as far as the numbers of civilians killed, it is a scandalous understatement and this number can be ratcheted up by several orders of magnitude. We also need to understand that he is now tightening the alliance with the Saudi regime since his trip and, as we know, the Saudi regime is a fierce opponent of the Damascus-based regime of President Assad and their main adversary, Iran.