"As people in North Africa and the Middle East stand up and give voice to their hopes for more open and democratic societies, we have an opportunity - and I would say a responsibility - to help them, " he said.
Picking up the pieces in the Middle East, trying to make its voice heard in the war on terror, under pressure to do much more to sort out the problems of regions that were seen, in the past, as mere targets of trade opportunity all these demands are forcing Europeans to think how they might better orchestrate their dealings with the outside world.