ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:
it worked for his father and resulted in stability for almost forty years, a stability that saw the surviving religious extremists scurry back under their rocks. It allowed for the middle class to grow and for minorities and women to participate as 'equals' in Syrian society.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which is behind a lot of the unrest, operates like the big Drug cartels did, buy hospitals, rec centres in the areas they are imbedded in and they buy off the local populace. Should they persevere in this struggle, we're going to see a period of peace...sort of a false spring while the Brotherhood consolidates power in several formerly secular Arab states. It'll be a time to rearm and build. Within ten years, if it's even that long, the real real shit is going to hit the fan.
Yes, that's what makes it difficult. Here's Assad slaughtering children by the score. However, if he falls, whoever comes in behind him probably won't operate any differently. And, as you indicated, Islamist regimes reeplacing "secular" ones in several Muslim nations may exacerbate the problem down the road.
Brutal strongman or religious wingnut.