But long-term rule by unelected technocrats also carries risks.
It has signaled that it is not wedded to Mr. Assad's long-term rule.
An Israeli journalist argues that long-term rule of Palestinians is a retreat from his country's democratic ideals.
"Long-term rule of Palestinians was a retreat from the ideal of democracy, a retreat that governments denied by describing the occupation as temporary.
But Meton and Euctemon wanted a long-term rule that would be as accurate as they could make it, and they therefore settled on a 19-year cycle.
But what if, instead, the generals' "road map to democracy" intends to put an end to electoral democracy altogether, recast Thai society, and establish a long-term rule of "moral people" who are not chosen through the ballot box?
Mr. Xi approved a directive issued in April that identified seven main ideological threats to party rule, including "historical nihilism" — defined as attempts to "negate the legitimacy of the long-term rule of the Chinese Communist Party" by maligning the party's record.
On top of those regulations, the budget office lists 29 long-term rule-making actions in its database, including some key provisions of Obama's signature healthcare reforms which do not take effect until 2014.
Citing both the general and the specific in terms of how he would remake the team in the short and long term, Alderson ruled out being aggressive in the coming free-agent market because of payroll inflexibility, meaning he will not pursue the Texas Rangers left-hander Cliff Lee.
But given Russia's history, such an eventuality should not, for the long term, be ruled out.
Given that the final evaluation was performed at six months, an effect of intervention in the long term cannot be ruled out.
