The 'Arab Spring' seems almost light years away and as there is no SWC thread on the secret police / secret intelligence or in Arabic the Mukhabarat, this new article will sit here. The author is Brynjar Lia, professor of Middle East Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages.

Stability is assured, well the author is adamant - no. From the conclusion:
The idea that Arab dictators may help secure long-term stability in the Middle East after the “failure” of the Arab Spring is a dangerous fallacy. States ruled by dictators are almost by definition loose cannons on deck....The assumption that the rules of the game have somehow changed after the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS and that Arab autocrats have now become our best choice at a time of uncertainty and crisis ignores the lessons of history.
Link:https://newmeast.wordpress.com/2016/...ced-nostalgia/