Clinton: Mideast Must Reform Despite Risks

MUNICH - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday urged leaders across the Middle East to embrace democratic reforms in response to growing unrest in the region despite the risk of short-term instability in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.

Clinton told an international security conference in Munich that change is a "strategic necessity" that will make Arab nations stronger and their people more prosperous and less susceptible to extremist ideologies. The region will face greater threats and insecurity without such actions, she said.

"This is not simply a matter of idealism; it is a strategic necessity," she said. "Without genuine progress toward open and accountable political systems, the gap between people and their governments will only grow, and instability will only deepen."

Complete Coverage: Anger in the Arab World

Clinton's speech mirrored one she delivered last month in Qatar when she warned regional leaders in person that the foundations of progress and development were "sinking into the sand" and would continue to do so unless they acted to meet the aspirations of their people, particularly their exploding youth populations. A day after that speech, Tunisia's longtime autocratic president was driven into exile amid a popular rebellion that in turned inspired protesters in Egypt to step up demonstrations against their leadership.

On Saturday, she appealed to European nations to join the U.S. in pushing broad political, economic and social reform in Egypt and elsewhere, saying incremental steps that do not give people full freedom and opportunity only breed further discontent.

"This is what has driven demonstrators into the streets of Tunis, Cairo, and cities throughout the area," she said. "The status quo is simply not sustainable."

"Some leaders may believe that their country is an exception - that their people will not demand greater political or economic opportunities, or that they can be placated with half-measures," she said. "In the short term, that may be true; but in the long-term that is untenable."

Many Middle Eastern leaders, including embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who the U.S. and others are pressing to step down, argue that opening up political space without controls will give power to extremists who will destabilize their countries and the region.

Israeli officials have also questioned calls for sweeping democratic reform in their neighborhood, fearing that peace deals with Egypt and Jordan could be threatened and their security imperiled if friendly Arab governments are ousted by popular uprisings backed by radical Islamists.

Clinton allowed that democratic transitions can be messy and can fail when "hijacked by new autocrats who use violence, deception, and rigged elections to stay in power or to advance an agenda of extremism."

But she said leaders who deny their people basic rights open the door to instability rather than close it.

"If the events of these past few weeks prove anything, it is that the governments who consistently deny their people freedom and opportunity are the ones who will, in the end, open the door to instability."