Prior to the US response to 9-11, Islamicists held or freely operated in a more or less contiguous group of states.  They could move operatives, materiel and support around unfettered.  US allies, with the exception of Israel, tended to be much weaker than the Islamicist or terror-sponsoring states around them.  Islamicists stood a real chance of creating a regional hegemony if they could seize enough regional governments and intimidate the rest into cooperation with them.