Honestly, I’d put more blame on the USA than the Soviet Union for this. The Sovs were at least alright with aligning with Arab nationalist Ba’athist regimes, while the USA’s increasing alignment with Israel forced them against Ba’athist regimes, which generally meant supporting Islamists.
USA: “Better Islamist than Soviet!”
USSR: “Better Islamist than Western!”
[Islamists gain prominence in the region]
Superpowers:
Honestly, I’d put more blame on the USA than the Soviet Union for this. The Sovs were at least alright with aligning with Arab nationalist Ba’athist regimes, while the USA’s increasing alignment with Israel forced them against Ba’athist regimes, which generally meant supporting Islamists.