Democracy in Egypt

Kansas City Star: The European Union has joined the United States in pressuring Egypt to improve its poor human rights record. But more must be done to persuade President Hosni Mubarak's government to change its oppressive ways.
Like most countries in the Middle East, Egypt has a bad record on civil liberties and political rights. President Bush, in a Nov. 6 speech about promoting democracy in the region, made a point of appealing to Egypt to do better. Egypt, he said, "should show the way toward democracy in the Middle East."
Mubarak bristles at such suggestions, saying, "We do not need any pressure from anyone to adopt democratic principles."
Jail deaths
More than a dozen alleged torture victims have died in Egyptian jails in the past two years.
With 70 million citizens, Egypt is what many call the center of gravity in the Arab world. It has received nearly $2 billion a year in U.S. aid for two decades.
As Bush accurately noted in his State of the Union speech: "As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny and despair and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the safety of America and our friends. ... We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror and expect a higher standard from our friends."
To live up to those words, Americans and Europeans should redouble their efforts to get the Mubarak government to promote basic human rights and lead other oppressive regimes in the Arab world to do the same.