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 for that period and for centuries afterward, ethnicities, tribes and power centers in the region remained in flux, with no one culture exerting long-term rule.
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?
Xi was concerned enough to summon top officials to Beijing in January for a stark, rare warning that "major risks" abound and their "long-term rule" wasn't guaranteed.
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.
"The party is facing long-term and complex tests in terms of maintaining long-term rule, reform and opening-up, a market-driven economy and within the external environment," Xi reportedly said, adding that the party was becoming distant from the people.
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.
