20110206
reuters

MUNICH (Reuters) - Astonished by the uprising in Egypt, Western countries anxious to be on the right side of history have started to reassess ties to army-backed Arab strongmen stubbornly opposed to democracy.

On grounds of both principle and self-interest, the West must promote more responsive and democratic government in the region to ensure peaceful change in societies yearning for a better life, officials at a security conference in Germany said.

"The past two weeks are a wake-up call," former Republican presidential candidate John McCain said. He said he wanted democracy in the region not out of "some misplaced moralism" but because the resultant stability would help the United States.

"The greatest guarantee of stability is democracy ... Our national interests demand it (in the Middle East)."

Whether those sentiments turn into reality may hinge on the outcome of events in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous and influential country, where an unprecedented revolt has shaken President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-old grip on power.

"What happens in Egypt affects all of our interests throughout the region," said Frank Wisner, President Barack Obama's private envoy to the Egyptian crisis. "We are aiming for an orderly transition to a democratic future.

DOUBLE STANDARD

Western democracy rhetoric tends to be greeted with cynicism in the Middle East, because the region has been here before.