One of my most vivid indelible experiences was a visit to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. It was not long before his final illness and he was holed up in his bunker in the city of Ramallah.

That city was under an Israeli siege. The bunker from where President Arafat was attempting to govern the Palestinian Territory was a fortified stronghold. Being led through it to meet the beleaguered leader, I experienced for the first time of my life what a real maze is like. It was a stark reminder that, for some peoples, politics really is a matter of life and death.

Viewing the events in the Arab world today, with protests spreading almost everywhere, at giddying speed, I cannot help but think that Mr Arafat’s predicament is now shared by most if not all Arab leaders. They must have a sense of being (or running the risk of soon being) in a bunker, under siege. Only, this time, not from an external enemy but from a significant section of their own people.

A few months ago it was unimaginable that so many rulers and governments, including in the immediate vicinity of Malta, were going to pass through such turmoil.

The geo-political situation in the Mediterranean and beyond has changed drastically. In Tunisia, former ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, after mass protests, has sought refuge in Saudi Arabia.

The events were tackled differently in Egypt. Former President Hosni Mubarak used the media in direct addresses to the nation. And the tactics to contain or disrupt the protesters changed almost day to day. However, as we are all aware, in the end he resigned.

In Libya, for a while, it seemed Muammar Gaddafi would not meet with such protests. He had taken measures to address his followers so as to avert the situations that developed on both the eastern and western borders of the country. I watched him on TV, on numerous occasions, addressing supporters, being interviewed and praying at mosques.

For a while it appeared the approach adopted by Colonel Gaddafi was much more successful than that adopted by both Mr Ben Ali and Mr Mubarak. Alas, the news coming out of Libya now shows a country in turmoil.

The protests in our immediate vicinity have had a ripple effect. In Yemen, the President has promised not to participate in the next election after over 30 years in power. Even so, protests have not petered out.

In Sudan, the President has given a similar pledge not to contest the next election.

In Jordan, we have witnessed several calls for change, mainly for wholesale changes to the government but the monarchy itself has been mentioned, even if only tangentially, for the moment.

The situation in Bahrain is getting out of control. This small country in the Gulf, with no oil resources to speak of, is the only Gulf state with a Shiite majority and Sunni rulers. The security forces used live ammunition on protesters for three days before the authorities agreed to permit protests and dialogue with the opposition. At this stage, however, the existence of the monarchy is in question. A democratic Bahrain will have significant implications for its two large neighbours, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

None of these events, needless to say, are happening in a bubble. Even the most callous European attitude would have to calculate the impact on European energy supplies, investment and trade. But must we be callous? There are many human lives at stake. Their dangers and deaths will have an impact on us. This is not only because a country like Tunisia is so close that what happens there immediately has an impact on the flow of immigration to Europe, for example.

The credibility of European values will be judged by the European reaction to these events. Europe’s self-interest, in the form of the strength of its voice on the world stage, and our values go hand in hand.

This is why, recently, during a European Parliament debate on the Arab world, with a particular emphasis on Egypt, I tabled a speech in my capacity as a representative of Malta in the Committee on Foreign Affairs. I said it is essential to define the role of the EU in the Arab world. Baroness Catherine Ashton has been on record to have stated that the EU has a “democratic calling” to listen to people who want change.

If we appear absent or hesitant about our role at such a time, it will be difficult to avoid giving the impression that Europe, too, has retreated into a bunker. We should not then be surprised if we are treated as bunker states.

Dr Attard Montalto is a Labour member of the European Parliament.