The Middle East is being rocked to its authoritarian core, as pro-democracy protesters
defy Hosni Mubarak’s regime for the eighth day in a row. They want an end to his 31-year-rule and, to judge by their continued defiance, are unlikely to accept anything else than his
departure. The events, however, have placed European governments in a quandary. Should they back the protests? Support what has been a friendly regime? Or sit uncomfortably on the fence, talking
about the need to show restraint and start reforms but standing back from actually supporting regime change, in case the transition becomes violent or the outcome problematic?
So far, it looks like the EU prefers sitting on the proverbial fence. As Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, who writes for El Pais, notes:
‘After a week of hesitations and deliberations, the EU Ministers met yesterday. They produced yet another statement. In this, they call for a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition. Wow! Is this all what 27 foreign ministries and the External Action Service could come to?’
It would be far better if European governments repeated the stance they took on Spain and Portugal in the 1980s – when even the US was worried about the speed of change – and act as a collective midwife of democratic change. It is not enough for a group of liberal, democratic countries to champion “small-f” freedom – like police restraint. They also need to stand for the capitalised version, focused on free, fair and clean elections and a break with Mubarak’s regime.
And they need to put actions behind such a sentiment. Between 1996 and 1999, the EU gave a total of €686 million to Egypt. Between 2000 and 2006; Egypt received about €600 million in funding; and from 2007 to 2010 it received €558 million (with only €17 million going towards human rights work). That is more than a €1.8 billion. European governments should be clear that they will suspend any further assistance, pending democratic change.
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