On the subject of governance -
IMO it's not so much 'good' or 'effective' government but pluralistic government that has the greatest impact on stability. Before the proliferation of mass communications and weapons of mass destruction, resistance to repressive government would be more easily curtailed - now, any one man with sufficient amount of explosives or fear can have a significant impact on the course of history. So fundamentally there needs to be a shift towards promoting inclusive government rather than repressing the opposition.
Further - the U.S. with its large size, diversity, and history of populism should be a good case study on effective and pluralistic government. The trend is one towards greater emancipation and participation (notwithstanding recent developments in wealth inequality) as well as generally well-armed and well-funded government controlled by multiple competing interests. Part of this comes from the strength of its institutions, part from well-practiced political norms learned through painful (and usually violent) experiences, and part through active civic agitation. In the Middle East, none of these conditions exist in any amount of sufficiency (except perhaps Israel, Turkey, and Iran), and with the entrenched role of the military in many of these states' political economy, it will take a mass movement to overcome them.
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