Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Environmental degradation takes a heavy toll, particularly on women and children’s health
In 1975, at the Mexico City First World Conference on Women, Vandana Shiva, the Indian scholar and environmental activist, introduced the issue of women’s relationship to the environment. At the time, concern was raised about the depletion of forestry resources and women’s role in agriculture and a connection was made between environmental development and its …
Corporate Social Responsibility in Banks
Over the past few years, a rising emphasis was placed on banks’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). But what does CSR mean anyway? This is indeed one of the most frequently asked questions for all those dealing with its matters. A simple definition of CSR would be how banks take the impact of their operational …
The age of panic
A country faces terrorism and economic problems. A country faces difficulties in education, health, transportation, inflation of prices and currency devaluation – a country where a policeman killed a taxi driver a few days ago because of a dispute over a fare. This same country sees the deaths of dozens of martyrs on its borders …
The impending disaster of pushing the retirement age beyond 60
There is no doubt that we are at a critical moment historically, the dominating slogan of which is “hard work and dedication” to build Egypt’s future. I also believe that everyone wishes to see the inclusion of “justice and law enforcement” in the slogan of the moment, without exceptions. This is evidenced by the constitution …
Conviction of Egyptian football fans slams door on potential political dialogue
Fleeting hopes that Egypt’s militant, street battled-hardened football fans may have breached general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s repressive armour were dashed with this week’s sentencing of 15 supporters on charges of attempting to assassinate the controversial head of storied Cairo club Al-Zamalek SC. Although the sentences of one year in prison handed down by a Cairo …
The death of Giulio Regeni, a fellow researcher
I will try my best to be as brief and as concise as possible in this piece for more than one reason. First, the whole issue surrounding Giulio Regeni’s death is incredibly distressing, to the extent that I’m incredibly uncomfortable writing about it. Second, this is a newspaper, after all, and its readers are not …
Egyptian-Brazilian trade ties indicate strong relationship
Brazil and Egypt continue to enjoy strong trade relations, a resounding demonstration of the countries’ strategic partnership. It is a relationship that stems back as far as 1924 when bilateral relations between Egypt and Brazil began. Over the years, the countries have enjoyed friendly ties and struck agreements on many important global issues, particularly in …
A new vision for the civil service law
It is indisputable that Egypt’s administration needs drastic reforms to be able to meet the requirements for any kind of development, and to turn the slogans of the 2011 revolution and 2013 uprising into a reality. The ancient bureaucratic body lost its professional competency over the time, as well as its political and ideological neutrality, …
Sisi and the Can’t Shoot Straight Gang
When Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi is just a blip on history’s radar, discerning eyes will look back on this week as revelatory of the current polemic. Both the soul crushing murder of Regeni and the explosive gathering of the Doctors’ Syndicate in protest of Ministry of Interior abuses come at a crucial juncture in Egypt’s rule. …
Saudi Arabia’s Syria strategy: Rewriting the Middle East’s political map
Saudi Arabia has raised the ante in its battle with Iran by publicly committing to send ground troops to Syria. This latest move by the Saudis is aimed at drawing the US into a more direct involvement to confront “Islamic State”, as well as the de facto alliance of Russia and Iran to keep Syrian …
Why Egypt’s ‘Big Brother’ came back, more repressive
“If you don’t have a brother, try to find one” is an Egyptian saying that many believe and live by. Having someone to take care of you is a cultural trait and an obvious privilege; for many Egyptians, it is pure bliss to live in a state that takes good care of its citizens. The …
Fat-cat charities and terrorist financing
Charities were originally formed to provide aid to those less fortunate than ourselves; most are indeed legitimate channels to help people in need. However, some charities are fraudulent, created to take advantage of the needy and the generous. Some charities have been used as a cover for money laundering or financing terrorists. It is estimated …
The mirage of transitional justice in Egypt
The 25 January Revolution in 2011 and the 30 June uprising in 2013 reflected one of the noblest and most peaceful events, in which the Egyptian youth led the revolutionary vanguard, overcoming the restrictions surrounding them. The youth were inspired by the developments of the modern world and the tools of communication, which enabled them …
Iran’s litmus test: sports and air transport
Sports and air transport are likely to serve as indicators of whether Iran has the flexibility to become a major node in an increasingly globalised world. The country’s willingness to relax strict gender segregation, dress codes, and its ban on alcohol will be at the core of Iranian efforts to become a global sports and …
Egypt Year in Review 2015
The year 2015 brought welcome stabilisation and recovery to Egypt, after a difficult post-revolutionary period marked by continued upheaval and sluggish growth. The first part of the year saw a range of encouraging developments, including the completion of the strategically vital Suez Canal expansion, the commitment of more than $35bn in planned foreign investments, closer …
The story of television
In the late 1960s, there were only seven houses in our neighbourhood and the rest of the region was agricultural land. Mr. Atteya, who came from Sharqeya and had the second largest house in the neighbourhood, was the only one who owned a television set in this part of the governorate. No one knew anything …
Giulio Regeni: Piecing together the fragments of stolen life
I never met Giulio Regeni. However, for the past 10 days since his disappearance I have reached out to mutual friends of ours in a desperate attempt to put together the fractured pieces about the theft of this beautiful stolen soul. The past five years in Syria, Egypt, and the Mediterranean have been years of …
Marketing when things change
Macro changes in the international business environment will affect marketing content, application, context and acceptance. One prime example of adjustment success and failure is the reunification of East (GDR) and West Germany. The lessons learned from that experience might help transform other places, such as in Iran and Cuba. Twenty-five years later, an entire generation …
Mired in problems, Egypt’s president reaches out to Ultras
Best known for his brutal repression of critics, Egyptian-general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has invited the members of the Ultras, the militant anti-government football fans, to participate in the court proceedings related to a 2012 politically loaded football brawl in which 72 supporters of storied Cairo club Al-Ahly SC died. Al-Sisi’s invitation contrasted starkly with Al-Ahly’s …
The president and the youths
We were very happy with the surprise that 9 January was named the official annual Egyptian Youths Day. Although it was celebrated without coordination with states bodies or the plan to make 2016 the year of the youth, it was still a good step. But at the same time, the questions remain: who will enable …
Citizen X speaks to Al-Sisi
Dear Mr Al-Sisi, This letter will do something you are not used to: it will force you to listen to a citizen rather than lecture or imprison him. I recognise this will be incredibly difficult for you, as you are accustomed to giving orders, rather than receiving advice. This letter is not about venting or …
They are fooling you, Mr President
Mr President, I would like to know who thinks with you. Who takes decisions without consulting with you? Who is causing your reputation to decline? Who is responsible for the continuous wasting of the looming opportunities? Mr President, do not believe those whispering to you, saying that your elite can convince the people with what …
The fear of sarcasm
Among the various traits that characterise the period after the 30 June uprising in Egypt is an obvious fear of sarcasm and satire. The incident that took place last week on the anniversary of the 25 January, and the amount of anger it stirred up, were not isolated events. In the past two years, the …
Expanding the scope of Egyptian filmmaking
In an article titled “Happy New Year”, I said that 2015 was a bright year for Egyptian cinema and that I was confident that 2016 would continue to be a success. Since the beginning of 2016, there have been signs that a different type of filmmaker is entering the arena. News broke out during the last …
China and the Middle East: Tilting towards Iran?
President Xi Jinping went from Riyadh to Iran this month to become the first foreign leader to do so following the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic republic. Saudi leaders could not have been pleased. China and Saudi Arabia (and Egypt) signed $55bn worth of cooperation agreements during Xi’s visit, including a nuclear cooperation …
The president’s men
Any ruling regime cannot begin from ground zero, because simply it cannot destroy the pillars of the state overnight and re-build them in the same way it demolished them. This introduction may seem philosophical, but it can be simplified by showing examples, before going into the topic at length. The July Revolution could not oust …
True impact of JCPA and Iran’s nuclear programme
Views of the analysts and experts differ concerning Iran’s nuclear programme agreement. Some believe that Iran achieved the goals of its nuclear programme, which thus poses a security danger to the Middle East region. Others believe that there are under-the-table negotiations between the US and Iran to curtail the influence of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) …
What do you think of the 25 January Revolution now?
What do you think of the 25 January Revolution now? There is a famous story that when in 1972 US diplomat Henry Kissinger asked Chinese leader Zhou Enlai about the French Revolution two centuries earlier, Zhou replied: “It’s too soon to tell.” So we should not be surprised that just five years after the dramatic …
Lessons learned from 25 January
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution, the greatest thing that Egyptians came together, even if some people hate this. Irrespective of the attempts of some to undermine it, or compare it to other incidents, the effect that the revolution left on Egyptians cannot be compared to that of any other incident. …
Pressure builds on Sheikh Salman to respond to human rights allegations
Pressure is building on Asian Football Confederation president and world soccer body FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to respond with chapter and verse to allegations that he played a role in the detention and abuse of athletes during the 2011 popular uprising in his native Bahrain. The revolt was brutally squashed …