A few hours ago, Pres. Obama said: "America is not the world's policeman. Terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our means to right every wrong. But when, with modest effort and risk, we can...make our own [people] safer over the long run, I believe we should act."
The entire Western World should act against virtually the entire Tyrannical World. The only exceptions are nuclear-protected China, Russia, and possibly Pakistan. The other dictatorships are highly vulnerable to military attack, economic boycott, political/diplomatic influence, and broadcast propaganda. We should act. The tyrants and their closest henchmen should be highly pressured. Resisters should be summarily smart-bombed, if not commando-attacked.
None of this long-term strategic action should involve invasion, occupation, nation-building, or democracy-teaching. Just devastating surgical strikes directed against the authoritarian leadership. Almost certainly this will radically alter their behavior at low cost and high reward to the West. Let the evil dictators continue to believe in socialism or shariaism or traditional tribalism -- but also let them not go too far with their obvious evils.
These tyrants need to learn and practice at least some decency, humanity, civilization, and respect for Western and universal norms of liberty and justice. Or else they should instantly face the wrath of the Western military.
Obama is absolutely correct that this moral nobility -- this military might for right -- entails only "moderate effort and risk", and that the West will be "safer over the long run". This type of minor military interventionism and world policing involves minimal cost and maximal benefit. It would be prudent and wise: a hugely profitable foreign policy immensely in the long-term, rational self-interest of the West.