The psychopaths and the ruthless will pass on their genes and this will bring Democracy? It's only long periods of relative peace and prosperity that do that - or the outside imposition of a form of vassal government dressed up to look somewhat like democracy.
Someone had to pay for it.
That last part may be generally true, but I'd argue that it's simply not possible when you have rule by a small minority. Perhaps if Syria was ethnically homogenous the situation would be as you say, but it's not. So long as there's that Shia/Sunni divide there's virtually no chance of equality ever. And since no group voluntarily gives up power it needs to be taken away. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Middle East is the way it is in large part to how the British drew the maps many decades ago. Pogroms, massacres and wars have helped settle things a bit, but there's still lots of work to do.
Well, it worked ok for Japan and Germany. But I admit those are probably exceptional cases.