The bit about the stable middle class puts me in mind of Maslow's heiarchiy of needs- democracy rates somwhere up near 'self actualisation' I suspect, and a population that regularly lacks food and physical security is not going to be able to support it. Democracy may not be the road to prosperity and stability, but rather a byproduct thereof.

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[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkGreen]"The only abnormality is the incapacity to love"
-Anias Nin [/COLOR][/FONT]