Of course it would have nothing to do with politicians/military types within these countries siding with the protesters/opposition seeing the opportunity to gain power.
What the west risks by stirring up trouble in these countries is the eventual installation of governments who may be more anti-West than the present incumbents.
The west hasn’t stirred up trouble, that’s the last thing it wanted to do when you consider the chief export from that region is vital to us and you don’t know what flavour of Government will replace these dictators.
The US in Bahrain are in a situation where they support the current Government and that Government has allowed the US fifth fleet to be based there, but cannot intervene as the people there are fighting for the things the US supposedly stand for and went into iraq for…oil Democracy.
Now I’m off to re-read last years strategic defence review…I’m sure it mentioned something about regional stability…