That is an interesting, but vague, reference.
It most likely contributed, but low oil alone did not do the job.
And Al Qaeda, which could be easily seen as a reaction against increassing western influence in the ME, certainly did no get weaker during this time.
The premise of Friedman, that cheap energy is there if we just think about it really hard, is flawed I believe.
The point about not having good technical education in the US is profoundly true, and I am pretty sure is linked to the sorry social studies quality of many school as well.
Ed