Assad was the devil we knew, but he was still the devil

Authoritarian regimes are stable until they’re not — and then it’s too late. Call it the myth of authoritarian stability. For decades, American and European officials have been uncomfortable with the inevitable chaos of democratic change.

This is precisely why they have generally undermined pro-democracy movements in the Arab world, including by propping up autocratic allies to the tune of billions of dollars in military aid. Of course, freedom and democracy are messy. Why shouldn’t they be?.