Regional autocracies would feel threatened by a democratic Iraq

Evidence

The fear of destabilization is both genuine and serious, and it is easy to understand the anxiety provoked in the regimes of the Middle East by the pros­ pect of a regime change in Iraq. The crucial question here is not how or by whom Saddam is removed, but what comes in his place. The clear preference of some influential groups in this country and elsewhere is for his replacement to be a kinder and gentler tyrant, who would be amenable to our interests and requirements, while avoiding the hazards of regime change. This would certainly be the preference of our so-called allies in the region, most of whom would feel mortally threatened by the emergence of anything like a democratic regime in Iraq. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1796