-——as they usually do-——
No, the events of the year and especially in Syria are not usual and for the world of Islam are actually unique. There is no historical equivalent for the masses to rise and overthrow the leader be he a king or Emir or President.
All of the countries experiencing the turmoil are finally throwing off the bonds of colonialism and the resulting transitional governmental failure and strongman imposed order.
History is a process, not an event.
The current process began in 1918 with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and WWII with the changes in North Africa. The western powers imposed order that became corrupt and is being overthrown by the people.
Understanding requires a very long view of at least a hundred years.
What you say is true, but the West intervened in the long Ottoman domination of non-Turkish Arabia. Something else would have happened to challenge that.
History is a long sequence of more or less causally related events. Sure, Churchill screwed up by giving so much to the house of Saud. But, there would not have been uninterrupted peace in an undisturbed Ottoman empire, either.
Like Somalia did? Turned out well for them, didn't it?
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens under "Islamic" government in the various "Arab Spring" countries.