The West's opposition to the Assad regime is based a lot on the fact that Syria's politics is a remnant of Soviet/Russian Cold War alliances. To argue that the West is ignorant of the consequences of regime change is naive. Pretty much everyone knows the most probable immediate outcome for "people power"/"democracy" in the Arab world is the creation of new anti-Western Islamist states founded on religious populism. However, unless these states can deliver safety and economic prosperity, peace and stability is a long ways off.
Yes, probable - but not every voter, every grown-up in the Arab world and the neighboring countries is a foreigner hating djihadist who wants to blow up the world.
There is a saying among muslims - "The problem is that the terrorists are too loud, even if they are only a few."
Islam as a culture is in desperate need of what we had in the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, too bad first the Czar, then the Communists destroyed of what was slowly emerging at the end of the 19, beginning of the 20.century.
And if I remember correctly, the Dean of the University of Cairo made a statement about Islam and terrorism as well. Ahhh, whatever, not really able to put forth something worthwhile.
"You don't learn from experience. You learn from reflecting on the experience."
- Kristen Ulmer
