Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Donald Trump v the arts
Among the victims of president Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and immigrants from seven Middle Eastern countries is Kinan Azmeh, a noted Syrian clarinettist and composer. Presently, Azmeh is stuck in Beirut, even though he has an EB-1 “alien with extraordinary abilities” visa and has lived in New York for the past 16 years. The US government’s prohibition for Azmeh …
The “Trump” virus takes over the American system
An individual in the face of an institution is one of the most prominent dilemmas in politics. With an individual’s decisions, creativity, and innovative solutions come, and may be resisted by institutions. With an individual’s decisions, wrong decisions that must be limited by institutions may also come. Institutionalism means the multiplicity of decision-making authorities and …
Trump, racism, and other stuff
International and local media, as well as social networks, circulated the executive order issued by US president Donald Trump which banned people from numerous Muslim-majority countries to enter the US. Many tried to analyse the decision and came up with different results, while no one has bothered to read the decision itself or analyse it …
Corruption with the force of the law…Where to get it and for how much?
The most difficult kind of corruption is the kind whose perpetrator acts legally according to the law and the constitution in a way that leaves no room for doubt, unless people around him are experts. The kind of corruption that is a drain on public funds in a way that does not violate the law …
The Muslim world: liberals pay the price for Trump and Saudi-supported illiberalism
US president Donald Trump’s fuelling of Islamophobia with his newly imposed travel ban, as well as his war on the mainstream media, feed an increasing trend towards supremacism and intolerance as well as restrictions on freedom of expression, media, and religion across the Muslim world. In doing so, the president’s moves complicate rather than fortify …
Egypt’s economy over 6 years
There are three variables in any economy which need to be reduced: inflation, unemployment, and debt; and three others which must be increased, including investment, growth, and export. There are also some intermediate variables that contribute to achieve those six goals, such as increasing the savings which help boosting investment and fighting poverty through reducing …
The president in the White House
The phone call between the two presidents, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Donald Trump, and most importantly, the awaited visit by Al-Sisi to Washington both have several reasons that can be categorised into two segments. First, the regional perspective. This is a phase in which lobbyists use all their methods of influence to serve countries and …
Tough choices
At a time in which the Egyptian people are wondering where the Egyptian government is, what is the parliament doing to control the markets, and who will save them from these crazy prices? While no one is answering these questions, and no one is thinking of the people amidst all our current crises, we were …
Needed: a new national export policy
The Donald Trump administration aims to lower imports in order to rebalance, after decades of neglecting economic relationships around the world. Doing so should not only be done by applying the stick of import reductions, but also by having as its second major claw of strength and refinement the principal tool of export promotion. Exports …
Donald Trump’s concerning views on torture
US president Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his belief in the usefulness of torture and waterboarding, raising concern among human rights advocates. When asked if the US should use waterboarding to extract confessions from prisoners, Trump said: “I like it a lot. I don’t think it’s tough enough.” It was a worrisome statement by the new US …
Blockchain can pull trade into the digital age
Blockchain technology could revolutionise trade—making it cheaper, quicker, and simpler for businesses to trade internationally. From letters of credit to bills of lading, merchandise trade today is heavily reliant on paper documents. In our digital, connected world, there is a growing need to modernise trade’s many paper-based processes. Digitisation would reduce bureaucracy, improve security, minimise …
Trump’s presidency bolsters autocrats as Egypt designates soccer icon a terrorist
An Egyptian government decision to designate soccer icon Mohammed Aboutrika as a terrorist coupled with the recent arrest of more than 30 militant football fans puts to bed any hopes that general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi sees the game’s supporters as a way to reach out to his opponents. Al-Sisi’s intent to maintain his brutal crackdown …
The defects in Egypt’s decision-making processes
Facing one crisis after the other has led many Egyptians to believe that overcoming our challenges is beyond our capabilities. This belief is reinforced by the illusion of a conspiracy theory that is espoused by many Egyptians who are convinced that other countries are plotting against us. These two factors have hampered our thought patterns …
Future impact of superpower and regional power states’ national security strategies on the Middle East
After looking at the different national security strategies in superpower and regional states, it is time to see how those will impact the Middle East by evaluating current global and regional situation in 2015 and 2016. Spread of terrorist groups and conflicts in the region Sixty-seven international organisations and groups are proscribed as terrorist elements, …
Protecting the Vulnerable During Egypt’s Economic Reform
Restoring economic stability is not easy, as Egypt’s President Sisi has said many times. The country faces three interlinked problems: an urgent balance of payments problem—which means more foreign currency has been going out the door than coming in—rising public debt, as well as low growth and high unemployment. With help from the IMF, Egypt has …
Without further discussion, Tiran and Sanafir are Egyptian
State Council judges have penned a new line in the honour of the Egyptian judicial record. One of the council’s judges said the decisively final word in the conflict between the Egyptian government and a major segment of the community on the sovereignty of the Tiran and Sanafir islands. Supporters and opponents shared different opinions …
Viridiana: destroying the alliance of religion, authority, and capital
Viridiana is directed Luis Buñuel
A short take on Youssef Chahine’s Bab Al-Hadid
Bab Al-Hadid is directed by late director Youssef Chahine
Qatari backtracking on labour rights and cooperation with Russia reflects new world order
A Qatari decision to backtrack on minimal improvements of the terms of employment of migrant workers, who account for a majority of the Gulf state’s population, and a Qatari investment in Russian oil company Rosneft PJSC, symbolise the emergence of a new global power structure with the rise of populists in the United States and …
Superpower and regional power states’ national security strategies
During the previous decade, several Arab countries faced big challenges such as severe deterioration in economic conditions, education, health, etc. On the other hand, rates of inflation, unemployment, and corruption increased. The increase of ethnic and sectarian disputes, the gap between the ruling elite and the people, political and security constraints, and interference in the …
Five reasons why Hillary lost and Trump won
First reason: the electoral college The United States presidential election is an indirect election. Citizens of the US cast ballots for members of the electoral college, known as electors. These electors then in turn cast direct votes, known as electoral votes. Each of the states casts as many electoral votes as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This means that …
Egypt’s problem
Sometimes, I try to stay away from writing, because I feel that the written word should resonate with decision makers in Egypt in order for the writer and researcher to feel that his/her efforts were not in vain and can actually bear fruit that the society can reap. But the important thing is that each …
Mawlana: our fragmented piety
Mawlana is directed by Magdy Ahmed Ali
Are Egyptians victims of their laidback attitude and corruption?
“Offer me a carbonated soft drink, and you can stay here” was a shocking phrase that I heard from a member of former president Hosni Mubarak’s security apparatus as I was waiting for a friend to pick me up in one of the most crowded streets in Cairo, close to the president’s residence. After hearing …
The misconception of sustainable development in Egypt
In order to be able to discuss sustainable development in Egypt, we must first be in agreement as to what sustainable development means. The scientific and international concept of sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the current needs of humans without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. …
The illusion of subsidising—Part II
I have many friends who once belonged to the middle class. They did not need state subsidies because they were able to live and afford education, healthcare, transportation, etc. for their children. However, the government’s decisions came against the wish of the people. Those friends turned from belonging to a “saving” class into classes that …
Fundamentalist groups as exclusionists
Anwar Al-Sadat was the president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in October 1981. Extremist groups, galvanised by fundamentalist ideas, assassinated him. Al-Sadat allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to play politics, and allowed their students to be part of the political scene at universities. He had a plan to create a balance between the communists …
Our corruption and distortion
I once said that there are several types and degrees of corruption in Egypt, some of which are protected by law and agreed upon. But the corrupt and the distorted are not similar. One of them is less harmful than the other, even if their descriptions share similarities. Imagine if we were going to build …
To hope, the most human instinct! Merry Christmas
“Yesterday, I was clever, I wanted to change the world.Today I am wise,I am changing myself.” -Rumi
Julieta, Elle, and acceptable displays of emotion
Film critic Yasmin Shehab investigates segments of societal and gender inequality through visiting female characters in Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta and Paul Verhoeven Elle