And, of course, the building blocks of democracy the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, the rights of minorities, free media and association, and a proper place in society for the army which are a big part of the solution all take a long time to put in place.
Mr Cameron says he told the defence minister, Field Marshal Muhammad Tantawi, and the prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, that the more the army opens up and includes opposition figures in its transition government, the more it can take its time establishing the building blocks of democracy.
And yes, it may be called soft power but whether it's saving the lives of refugees by stopping them from having to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, helping the Lebanese build defences against Isil [Isis], or using our expertise to help countries establish the building blocks of democracy, justice and the rule of law, soft power packs a real punch".
The basic idea is to identify the core principles (or 'building blocks') of democracy and strive for those values beyond the state.
The journalistic credibility of the BBC, given its power and reach in this country, is an essential building block of our democracy (though these events lead to the inevitable questioning of its right to exist funded by the compulsory license fee).
But "we will not allow anyone to block the road of democracy".
The Syracuse story dramatizes how the rankings of U.S. News and World Report block the advance of democracy.
