Stability is the last refuge of many non-democratic leaders, but there’s little evidence that these leaders can ensure stability in their own countries or internationally.  As Rice pointed out, supporting stability over democracy in the Middle East has often led to greater instability.  The Shah  was supposed to bring stability to Iran and to the region at large, but many of the region’s current problems are actually linked to that regime and to U.S support.  Throughout the Arab world, authoritarian regimes have also shown that they are unable to deliver stability.  This isn’t only true in the Muslim world.  Does anybody think that the strongman regime of Vladimir Putin has brought stability to the former Soviet Union?  Stability in Russia itself is far from guaranteed, particularly given recent events in the North Caucasus.