Something potentially important takes place in New York today, as Middle Eastern civil society activists present the Group of 8 (G-8) and Arab foreign ministers with a blueprint and action plan for a reformist Partnership for Peace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This is the latest in a series of recent steps aiming to move governments, civil society and the private sector in the G-8 and MENA countries to create an ongoing Forum for the Future. The significance of this meeting is that it represents the first time that civil society activists in the MENA region have formally engaged the world's advanced industrial powers in the context of defining a common agenda to move forward the reform effort. Arab governments have failed miserably in this respect and routinely resisted Western and indigenous calls for democratic reform. Arab civil society activists and democrats have the experience, commitment and motive for democratization that their governments so obviously lack.

The G-8 powers for their own reasons wish to promote a serious MENA reform process. They can join forces now, with Arab governments in tow, to give birth to that which has eluded them all for many years: a truly sensible, realistic and shared plan for democratic reform of the MENA region, defined primarily by the values and goals of native Arab and other Middle Eastern democrats, and supported by like-minded partners abroad.

The MENA civil society activists have generated a serious, strong proposal that deserves the deep attention and study of the G-8 powers. The proposal handed today to the G-8 and Arab foreign ministers includes three "imperatives" (freedom, democracy and justice) and seven practical sectoral programs (equality, rule of law, free expression and organization, inquisitive education, economic inclusion, transparency, creative artistic and literary expressions.) These proposals are an opportunity to get right that which the U.S. initially, and all Arab states and the Arab League subsequently, messed up very badly: launching a regional reform effort that is both credible and realistic. This latest gathering today provides a new opportunity and a possible fresh start for a process that should be compelling to all concerned.  

This and future generations deserve success in this enticing endeavor. Time frames and historical perspectives are relevant.Thousands of years ago, MENA was the region from which emanated great waves of advancements in human civilization. It was the birthplace of urban and national culture as the world has come to know it. Today, MENA is the wellspring of another enormous wave of human change - in the form of numerous political and economic reform initiatives designed to modernize and stabilize this turbulent region. But this has been a collective failure to date. MENA reform is an imperative that cannot be allowed to fail. Wise men and women meeting in New York today, and millions who share their goals, must think sensibly and act courageously, to overcome the bitter legacy of those who failed to do so in recent years.