Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Solving Donald Trump’s Mystery
Recently, as I picked up a book from my bookcase, I realised that one word in its title had the answer to a problem that had been bothering me for months. The book is “The Voice Imitator” by Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard. And the word that solved the mystery, you may already have guessed it, …
Not all novels are meant for TV: La Totfe Al Shams
La Totfe Al Shams is one of the most discussed and talked about Egyptian TV series this Ramadan. The series is an adaptation of Ihsan Abdel Quddous’ hugely successful novel that had already been turned into a hit feature film in 1961. Although it is very intriguing to start comparing the series’ casting choices, performances, …
30 Youm: a worthy thriller, or a waste of time?
When it is estimated that there are more than 37 new Egyptian TV series released, one has to be picky when deciding which of them to give their time to. Usually, people decide which series they should watch based on the cast (an actor who they know always chooses the right scripts to play, a …
Gulf crisis: Surrender or dig in for the long haul
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by breaking off not only diplomatic but also economic relations with Qatar, are likely to make it this time round far more difficult for the Gulf state to resist pressure to change its controversial policies. The stakes are far higher than when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and …
Baheya foundation honors Hend Sabry’s latest TV shows
Actress Hend Sabry Baheya has been honoured by the Foundation for Early Detection and Treatment of Breast Cancer for her latest role in Halawyet El donia. The role spotlights the process of cancer treatment in Egypt, and raises awareness on different forms of the disease, The Sohour charity event was attended by several public figures, …
A politicised Cannes Festival reflects on immigration crisis
Some of the films can be considered explicit messages to world leaders in hope of reconsidering policies related to refugees
Yusuf Sameh Alaraby: martyr of chaos, negligence, recklessness, and absence of law
“Dance him to heaven” were the sad mother’s, Marwa Kennawy, last words, lamenting her 14-year-old only child, Youssef, paying him farewell for the last time before burying him
On the sidelines of “Belt and Road”
Egypt knocks on doors of Chinese dragon…7 steps to activate strategic partnerships
Egypt needs huge investments and 10 million tourists
During my participation in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, I have seen and heard many things that I have heard before, but the vital question here is: how could we activate the strategic relationship between Egypt and China? I think the relations of the two countries are weird. A senior Egyptian official …
Polezni Durak and the summit of Riyadh
“Escape to the front” is one of the tactical plans known in war, politics, and economy. Tactics are flexible plans to achieve a partial goal that responds to the moment’s data and necessities. Tactics are also a kind of maneuver to improve one’s own position, whether it’s executed by a state, a government, or a …
Limitations of illusion and cheap propaganda
Give me my freedom, release my hands Indeed, I’ve given you yours and did not try to retain anything Ah, your chains have bloodied my wrists I haven’t kept them, nor have they spared me Why do I keep promises that you do not honour? When will this captivity end, when the world is before …
Egypt’s image and the country’s soft power
It is a confusing question: Who is responsible for Egypt’s image? Perhaps the mystery lies in Egypt’s “important cards”, which are capable of producing a “wonderful image”, but the new image of Egypt is usually “temporary”. The investment conference in Sharm El-Sheikh created an “attractive atmosphere”, however the Egyptian government did not complete it. The …
Threat of terrorism and necessity of changing political and legal convictions
Terrorism hits again with its evil hand in the heart of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, targeting this time police forces stationed on the outskirts of Nasr City in a semi-desert region. The blow’s circumstances in terms of timing and method of implementation is indicative of the bankruptcy and weakness of such organisations and also a …
Social media credibility and latest trends in news reporting
The AUC kicked off the first-ever virtual session series at the Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism, a conference call with professor Vince Gonzales, who is an investigative journalist, professor of professional practice at the University of South California, and coordinator of the University’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s masters degree programme in …
The Montreux Convention of 1937: a key step towards Egyptian independence
Neutral Switzerland has been a renowned facilitator in peace negotiations and a traditional meeting place for parties in conflict. At the same time, little is known about Switzerland’s role in a historic step that helped Egypt establish sovereignty and gain full independence. Eighty years ago, on 8 May 1937, the Montreux Convention Regarding the Abolition …
Between choice and inevitability
The law of nature is inevitability, and the law of life is choice. Humans live between the ability to choose and the inevitability of life. You might wonder “how?” and the answer is that the law of nature does not recognise exceptions. Despite the renewing nature of life, it is stable and unchangeable. The change …
The heritage of economic citizenship: a‘refuge’ for advancement
A lot of unnecessary energy has already been expended on Egyptian television arguing over the planned reforms ofresidency and naturalisation procedures, with accusations of treason flying both ways. The idea is that you get a five-year long residency if you stash a lot money in the bank that the government will then spend and invest …
Startups in the Middle East: a fun(ding) adventure
The Middle East is a region of great opportunity. We have a large and young population with more than its fair share of problems, and as every entrepreneur knows, every problem is an opportunity; the bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. As a region, we are also one of the largest exporters of capital …
FIFA Congress: An Israeli-Palestinian battleground
Next month’s annual congress of the world soccer body, FIFA, is likely to become the first international forum since US president Donald Trump took office to debate Israel’s controversial settlement policy in the occupied West Bank. Israeli efforts to prevent FIFA from debating and possibly censoring it for allowing soccer teams from Jewish settlements in …
Blame Egypt, think why later
In a research paper I am currently preparing, I found out that there was some kind of a decision taken by opinion-making circles in the west to blame Egypt and Egyptians every day and then look for justifications later. The presidency of Egypt is the most undermined, followed by the armed forces, the police, media, …
Withdrawing into the arts: a local, two-pronged strategy for fighting ISIS
Just the other day, I was meeting with a Christian friend at a cafeteria on the top of a building, and he was afraid the place would fall down if a terrorist bomb targeted it. He was reacting—rightly it seems—to what had just happened in Stockholm. Now look what’s happened here: two churches were targeted …
1952 family and the conspiracy theory (3-3)
Dear readers, we will try to present one of the most important stories that summarises the meaning of the slogan “No voice is louder than the voice of battle”, with the conspiracy theory to justify the continued security control and the postponement of the democratic project. Our story begins with shocking news and images reported …
Opinion: car manufacturing strategy and personal interests
Over the past few weeks, the future of the Egyptian car manufacturing strategy, or in other words the “car law,” has returned to be amongst the hot topics after the crisis that occurred to this project during Angela Merkel’s visit. She announced her dissatisfaction of the project, which was accompanied by a letter from the …
A Story of Courage, Creativity and Survival
In 1939, the relentless Nazi bombardment of Warsaw destroyed the city’s zoo. What the Nazis didn’t know, however, is that what they had destroyed was not an ordinary zoo, but the extraordinary creation of an unusual Christian Polish couple, Jan and Antonina Zabinski. Thanks to them and their son Ryszard’s efforts, approximately 300 Jewish women, …
The 1952 family and conspiracy theory (2-3)
I am wondering how the conspiracy theory is used against Egypt? In other words: why do some sides promote this theory? And against whom? We tried in the previous article to highlight one of the reasons of the use of conspiracy theories to justify the criticism against authorities in Egypt due to human rights violations. …
The three messages of the US strike on Syria
The chemical bombing of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria was a golden opportunity for Trump’s administration to convey three messages. The first message is an internal one: the US president was like a bad machine—talks much, does little. He only fulfilled a small part of his internal agenda. What he did was so little that some …
Renewable energy & socioeconomic changes
Stepping into the era of renewable energy (RE) will bring forth big socioeconomic changes all over the world. It will introduce a new industry and new means of living to all sorts of people. Those having vocal skills will work on the projects, operations, and all supported industries, such as agriculture and transportation. But the …
Jabal Al-Halal: the old stronghold of terrorism
I have numerous memories that date back to the end of the 1990s in Jabal Al-Halal, located 60 kilometres south of Al-Arish. We visited the mountain a few days ago after the elimination of terrorists who used to take shelter in it until mid-February. It was named “Halal” because of the camels and sheep that …
The 1952 family and conspiracy theory (1-3)
The talk about conspiracy is not new. For decades, all the rulers of the 1952 school of thinking talked about conspiracy. Sometimes it was an imperial plot, sometimes it was a communist one. The funny thing about conspiracies is that supporters of the regime believe that conspiracies have expanded over the past years to include …
Egypt and China, a Bridge Not Too Far: Taha Hussein or Henry Kissinger?
A very distinguished Chinese academic, Dr. Wang Jisi, just gave a talk at the American University in Cairo on China’s understanding of the international order (Tahrir Dialogue No. 64 – “Listening to and Looking Towards Asia”, Tahrir Campus, March 29, 2017). Something that came up during his talk was figuring out how Egypt looks at …