Guardian report: Beware instant democracy:

The new US plan for the so-called "Greater Middle East" is adapted from the 1975 Helsinki pact that was used by the west to press for greater freedom and human rights in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe. As a new series of reports in the Guardian says, this plan fits the Bush administration's neo-conservative dogma, which mistakenly views the problems of the Middle East in Cold War terms.

"In any case, picturing the Middle East as some kind of geo-political entity is largely an illusion. The term "Middle East" was invented in the west, just over 200 years ago as a security concept (for the protection of British interests in India at the time) and has continued in that role ever since. As a region, it exists mostly in the minds of western strategic planners...

The motive for the plan "is not altruism but the self-interest of the G-8. While it is always possible that what is good for the G-8 can be good for the Middle East too, constructing a reform programme around the fears of outsiders rather than the needs of the people involved is a bad way to start...

"The question, "What are the obstacles to democracy in the Middle East?" tends not to be asked. It's too embarrassing - both for the western powers and for governments in the Middle East. Beyond the embarrassment of asking the question, there's the even greater embarrassment of looking for solutions. If there is ever to be real democracy in the Middle East, a lot of people will have to change their ways drastically - not just in the region but in Washington too."

This is the first part of a series in the Guardian newspaper.