Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Great Egyptian revolution and the future road map
By Javed Nawaz After the ouster of the Tunisian president who ruled for over 23 years, the fall of the Egyptian regime is highly significant. Mubarak’s autocratic rule spread over 30 years will be remembered in history as black days of humiliation, suppression, torture and killings. “This is the best day of my life,” said the …
The perils of Palestinian strategy
By Shlomo Ben-Ami TEL AVIV: It should be clear to all by now that talks between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cannot produce a peace agreement. Yet it would be wrong to dwell excessively on current leaders’ weaknesses, for to do so presupposes that with different leaders at the helm, an …
Thoughts after the Egyptian uprising
By Nick Rowlands On February 11, 2011, Hosni Mubarak stepped down as fourth President of Egypt, leaving the armed forces council in charge of the affairs of state. Hundreds of miles away in a cafe in Brixton, London, I burst into tears. They’d done it! Mubarak had pharaoh’d over the Egyptian people for 30 years, yet …
A new Egypt means new Egyptians
By Rania Al-Malky CAIRO: As I dropped off my 75-year-old father near the back of the Egyptian Antiquities Museum on his way to attend the “Friday of Victory” gathering at Tahrir Square, scenes from the seismic three weeks that changed the face of Egypt’s history hit me: hundreds of thousands demanding in unison the end of …
Non-violence, key for change in Egypt
By Michael Nagler BERKELEY, California: The astonishing breakthrough in Egypt, when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down after weeks of protests, has rightly galvanized attention around the world. Yet as usual, there has been little commentary from the non-violence standpoint. While US President Barack Obama at least used the words “non-violence” in his recent congratulatory speech, …
The West’s Middle East Pillars of Sand
By Ben Judah and Daniel Kor LONDON: Two centuries ago, Napoleon’s arrival in Egypt heralded the advent of the modern Middle East. Now, almost 90 years after the demise of the Ottoman Empire, 50 years after the end of colonialism, and eight years after the Iraq War began, the revolutionary protests in Cairo suggest that …
Constitutional Patriotism: Completing Egypt’s Revolution
By Tamer Bahgat and Khalid El-Sherif “Her length is a month’s journey, and width is ten months. Her sky is clear, her Nile is sweet and her land is most fertile. Her women are unique wonders, and her men are toys. A piper will bring the people together, and a stick will separate them. They …
Congratulations to the People of Egypt
By Arnold Keiser On behalf of the Organization for International Cooperation I want to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of the Egyptian people. You are inspiring and it is clear that the impact of your country’s transformation is already far reaching. Dictators and oppressive governments in the Middle East and around the world are now far …
Muslims and Christians together in a new Egypt
By Yasser Khalil CAIRO: The recent protests in Egypt that led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, and their political ramifications, have been covered extensively in the media. But stories of Christian-Muslim solidarity have not been broadcast as widely, and they deserve to be. During the protests, Christians stood in a circle around Muslims …
Pakistan’s Mubarak moment
By Shahid Javed Burki ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s domestic situation is becoming increasingly precarious. Indeed, serious questions are now being raised as to whether the country can survive in its present form. Such questions stem from a growing fear that Islamist groups might once again make a serious bid to capture the levers of power in the …
Egyptian revolution a wakeup call for Arabs and Israelis?
By Khaled Diab BRUSSLES: Millions of Egyptians have accomplished what many thought was improbable: they defied their dictator and won. After Hosni Mubarak spent three decades as Egypt’s uncontested leader, his downfall has understandably been cause for euphoria and celebration in Egypt and across the Arab world. While the Egyptian revolution has inspired ordinary Arabs …
The Arab world’s triple crisis
By Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed LONDON: Economic want and inequality, as much as political repression, incited the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions. It is, of course, to be hoped that new governments in these countries, and other Arab leaders, will better address ordinary people’s grievances. But a mere change of government will not make these countries’ economic …
The Egyptian uprising, the lesson for Israel
By Alon Ben-Meir While much is unknown about the ultimate implications of the Egyptian uprising for Israel, one lesson can already be drawn: The missed opportunities to achieve peace with the Arab states could have disastrous impacts. Of course, many Israelis see the unraveling of the once vaunted Egyptian government and argue that the increasingly …
Egyptians, rejoice: The giants are trembling
By Samir Farid The revolution of the Egyptian people, which began on January 25 and will not end until the entire system is overhauled from top to bottom, has shaken up not only the Arab world but the world at large. The success of the revolution lies in one simple reality: It was a revolution …
Three steps toward freedom in Egypt
By Jennifer Bremer Egypt has started down the road to truly momentous reform, but reformers will find that road blocked unless three barriers are removed, and soon. First, state approval to form political parties must be suspended for at least six months. In principle, such approval should be eliminated altogether, but first things first. Egypt …
Khawagas in Paradise
By David Faris Egyptians have just triumphantly finished off the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. They did so by taking courageously and peacefully to the streets, in defiance of their own overlords, and in defiance of a pervasive discourse that dismissed Arabs as incapable of and unprepared for freedom. While their revolution remains tenuous, their historic …
Reflections on the revolution in Egypt
By Richard Haass NEW YORK: Revolutions happen for a reason. In the case of Egypt, there are several reasons: more than 30 years of one-man rule; Hosni Mubarak’s plans to pass the presidency on to his son; widespread corruption, patronage, and nepotism; and economic reform that did not benefit most Egyptians, but that nonetheless contrasted …
New Era
By Dr. Ali Gomaa Egypt stands at the dawn of a new era, hopeful of a peaceful transition to democratic and elected rule. It is an era borne of the ingenuity, sacrifices and determination of the entire nation. We remember and recognize all those brave men and women who gave their lives in fighting for …
Don’t let the window on Israeli-Palestinian peace close
By Moriel Rothman MIDDLEBURY, Vermont: The sun of the two-state solution is setting. The window for the only solution I believe has any chance of bringing about meaningful, sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians is closing, and with it Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic homeland. People have been saying it for years. In fact, …
The military coup that wasn’t
By Troy Carter On Feb. 11 Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s Vice President and former intelligence chief, delivered a speech on state television. “In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of the president of …
Pursuing democratic reform at the regional level
By Gregoire Mallard In the next few months, Tunisia and Egypt will reform their constitution in order to grant more rights to their citizens. But they should also start a process of regional democratic integration to prevent future political leaders from stealing the fruits of their democratic revolution. The world has watched and cheered the peaceful …
Egypt for Egyptians
By Tamer Bahgat Friday, with the brief words of the laconic former vice president, our Republic has been freed from its bondage and returned to its rightful owners, for the people by the people. In the past days we witnessed the shroud of fear unwrapped, the individuals communing to unite for a common cause, and the …
To the People of Egypt
By Michael Rogers I have been watching the demonstrations in Egypt with hopeful concern for the past few weeks. I am praying that the people of Egypt can achieve their dreams of freedom without any more violence and achieve a new era of freedom and prosperity. Many commentators have been suggesting that many Egyptian political parties …
The day Egypt became one
By Joseph Fahim Throughout his entire career, great Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo (1923-1996) relentlessly explored the stigma of being both Japanese and Christian. The two concepts, according to Endo, are not mutually exclusive; the makeup of Japanese culture never seemed to accommodate Christianity. At some point in my life, I felt the same way towards the …
What after Egypt’s youth revolution?
By Heba Handoussa Can one be optimistic in these momentous times and forecast a new golden future for Egypt? The energy and commitment evident in the streets and in Tahrir Square promise a potential reservoir of vigor and goodwill that could reshape Egypt’s destiny in the future. I am particularly heartened by Egypt’s thinkers and practitioners …
Egypt’s day of glory
By Alon Ben-Meir Egypt’s day of glory can be sustained only if the revolutionaries, the opposition figures and the establishment work together while realizing that they are shaping Egypt’s destiny. I want to begin this column by first applauding the Egyptian people. I applaud them not only for their heroism, but for their tenacity, their deep sense …
Mubarak: A cautionary tale
By Rania Al Malky Yesterday morning I wrote an editorial titled “Egypt: A Deadlock”, but by 6 pm, everything changed. In a minute long televised statement, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that President Hosni Mubarak had stepped down and assigned the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to run the country. Everyone will remember this moment …
Islamophobia and the dinner table test in Britain
By Fiyaz Mughal LONDON: The January speech in Leicester by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, co-chairperson of the right-of-centre ruling Conservative Party in the UK, in which she stated that “Islamophobia has passed the dinner table test”, has sparked numerous debates and discussions around many of Britain’s dinner tables. Warsi was asserting, in other words, that being anti-Muslim …
Indonesian lessons for Tunisia’s revolution
By Sri Murniati Penang: Tunisia’s revolution likely reminds many Indonesians of their country’s situation 13 years ago when Suharto, who ruled the country for over 30 years, was toppled after a series of protests following the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Today, Indonesians can proudly say that they live in a democracy, one that – along with …
Citizenship, not religion, must be the basis for inclusion in the Middle East
By Saliba Sarsar TINTON, New Jersey: With political change in Iraq and the ongoing transformations in Tunisia and Egypt, news of attacks on religious minorities in the Middle East, from only a month ago, has been forgotten. But with democratic processes taking hold in parts of the Middle East, there is a new opportunity for the …