Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he believes the fallout from the ongoing Arab Spring movement will eventually lead to a more democratic Middle East.

“I think getting from here to there is going to be a wild ride. And so I think we’re in for 10 or 15 years of instability in a region that has already been characterized by instability,” Dempsey told members of the House Armed Services Committee during Thursday’s hearing…

“I don’t see the Assad model spreading; I think quite the opposite. I think the model is that previously suppressed populations, seeing what’s happening around them, are beginning to rebel against the traditional strongmen, who in many cases have been from the minority side of the demographic equation,” Dempsey said.