Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
The last honest city in America
By Ahmed Tharwat I just visited Las Vegas for the first time. In all of these years in America, Sin City had never successfully seduced me in spite of its flashy façade screaming its invitation and its attractive moral slogan, promising to keep everything I do a secret. But recently, I found myself in the …
Why do Egyptians value authoritarianism?
By Mohammed Nosseir While authoritarianism may be perceived by many as hereditary in Egyptian DNA, it is in reality a mechanism of rule that has been forced upon its citizens for centuries in a determined effort to get rid of any attempt to establish genuine democracy (such as the 25 January Revolution). The challenge we Egyptians …
If you look carefully, Egypt has all premises for success stories
On the importance of channelling individual talent into collective actions to transform creativity into business, job opportunities
Egypt Economy: Finally on the right track?
Exactly one year ago, in an article titled: “So how is the Economy”, we spoke about the reality, mistakes and solutions for the Egyptian economy. Now, as the as final preparations are underway for Egypt’s Economic Development Conference which is set to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, the same question comes back to mind: Are …
Blatter’s call on Iran to allow women into stadia reeks of opportunism
By James M. Dorsey Campaigning for re-election, world football body FIFA president Sepp Blatter seems never to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. In an article in a FIFA magazine, Blatter commemorated International Women’s Day by calling on Iran to lift its ban on women attending male sports events in stadia. In doing so, …
Egypt’s worst fear: The UN
By Semanur Karaman The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a rather unique and quite technical process of the UN Human Rights Council, where each member-state’s human rights record is reviewed every four years. It is an important mechanism, as all member states go through this examination without discrimination. Civil society is provided an opportunity to …
Notes from America: Sex, lies and videotape?
By Ahmed Tharwat On 18 February 2015, the White House hosted the summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). The purpose of the summit according to a statement issued by the White House was, “to highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalising, recruiting, or inspiring individuals or groups in …
Meeting Egypt’s impressive women
By Caroline Alcock, British Consul General in Alexandria International Women’s Day on 8 March is a good opportunity to reflect on the inspirational women I have met during my 18 months in Alexandria, and the important role they play in this in this wonderful city. I have been privileged throughout my time in Alexandria to …
Empowering women benefits all, from the individual to the nation
By Dr. Bjørn Lomborg Even if we believe we have come a long way regarding gender equality, the fact is that up to today, women tend to hold lower-paying jobs, are under-represented in politics and the upper levels of business, and bear the brunt of domestic violence. In parts of the developing world, women have …
The Charlie effect: What’s next?
By Fadi Elhusseini Are we witnessing a harbinger of a religious war? Is it the beginning of a new violent era that may not spare any nation? What is it that radicalism wants to achieve by committing such acts? Why is this happening? And is there a solution? These are few questions that appear in …
Football fields: A way station en route to the Islamic State
By James M. Dorsey One thing the biographies of Jihadi John, the Islamic State’s executioner of foreign hostages, and several of his European associates have in common is their passion for football and their dashed hopes of becoming professional players. They all belonged to amateur teams or bonded in part by playing football together. Like …
Can the security strategy performance for confronting extremism be improved?
The higher strata of the middle class, with society’s higher authority, insist on supporting the security strategy for confronting terrorism and extremism. On the one hand, they fear that using any other strategy may detract from the luxury they enjoy. On the other hand, they do not feel any direct harm from the security’s subjugation …
The global impact of neglected tropical diseases
By Dr Cesar Chelala Every year, a group of 17 diseases makes life “miserable” for more than 1 billion people, reports the World Health Organization (WHO.) The group of diseases is called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and it includes tropical infections that affect predominantly low-income populations in developing regions in Africa, Asia and the Americas. The …
Economic Summit: Egypt’s economy in dire straits
The touchstone here is what comes after the conference, especially in the nature of companies that can invest in a country like Egypt, one that is on the brink of a political explosion
Erdogan doesn’t deserve a Saudi red carpet
By Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor On Saturday, the Turkish President, Recip Tayyip Erdogan, is scheduled to begin a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia to hold talks with King Salman, who recently acceded to the throne following the passing of King Abdullah. There has been a flurry of media speculation that Saudi foreign policy could see …
Egypt: A nation floating in greyness
By Mohammed Nosseir Life has certainly always been full of many colours. Despite the recent attempt being made to use new, non-traditional colours that have never been used before, only two colours – black and white – should define the relationship between a state and its citizens (in other words, whether the rule of law …
My Dog , My Religion and Me
By Ahmed Tharwat The grisly video images showing the torture and killing of a dog propelled a hot debate on social media and outcries allover Egypt. The hashtag, #AlHaremStreetDog, was one of the biggest trending on Twitter. The debate focused on whether it was the cruelty of animals or the cruelty of humans in Egypt. …
Egyptian spectator ban: Flashpoint for conflict and statement of weakness
By James M. Dorsey An Egyptian cabinet decision to end the suspension of professional football in late March but reinstitute the ban on spectators attending matches could spark renewed clashes between militant fans and security forces. The decision against the backdrop of mounting evidence that Egyptian general-turned-President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has no apparent intention of easing …
Reefs are not just pretty, saving them pays off
By Dr Bjørn Lomborg Biodiversity – the range of species we share our planet with – is important, but can we put a value on it? And can we estimate the benefits and costs of conservation? Professor Anil Markandya and two other economists (Luke Brander and Alistair McVittie) have written three new, scientific papers …
Libya: Armed chaos and dividing spheres of power
Libya is witnessing armed chaos and division of regions as well as cities, while battles and conflicts are occurring between extremist militias and the Libyan army near Libyan cities. A lot of militias spread in Libya; all of them were formed after the fall of Gaddafi’s regime. The major armament assets of these brigades came …
Prosperity amidst turmoil, Egypt sees some light
By Ahmed El-Wahsh With the inauguration of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to the presidential palace, one of the key highlighted sectors that needed up turning and nutriment was Egypt’s economy. On 11 February, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it had started witnessing a “turnaround” to the Egyptian economy, eight months into Al-Sisi’s reign …
Football racism highlights Europe’s struggle with transition and entrenched racism
By James M. Dorsey Recent football-related racism highlights European nations’ tortured transition from ethnically relatively homogeneous to multicultural immigration societies amid a resurgence of entrenched racial, including anti-Semitic, attitudes that flourish in times of economic crisis and are not limited to Muslim communities. Fans across Europe have lined up on both sides of the racism …
Notes from America: The accidental hero
By Ahmed Tharwat In his book “Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era”, Joseph Nye of Harvard University divided American presidents into two groups. One is made up of “transformational” leaders – those with the grandiose goal of using American influence to spread democracy and liberty around the world. The second group contains …
On Copts, Libya and nationalism
By Wael Eskandar One of the most astounding phenomena following the brutal slaying of 21 Copts, who had been kidnapped since December 2014, is the hyper-nationalistic reactions within Egyptian society. These reactions of immediate unquestioning support to military response in Libya extend to numerous revolutionary hardliners who are greatly opposed to Al-Sisi’s rule, yet found …
Whose lives matter in current day Egypt?
By Semanur Karaman On 9 February, in response to the deadly police violence that left 40 football fans killed and dozens murdered in Cairo, Shadi Zalat compared the price of a ticket to the price of life. Unfortunately, in present-day Egypt, the rhetoric behind the comparison is a saddening one as lives of ordinary civilians …
We refuse to be enemies
By Dr Cesar Chelala I have just returned from a concert by Gabriel Meyer Halevy, an Argentine-Israeli musician. He is the son of Marshall Meyer, an American rabbi who lived in Argentina during that country’s “Dirty War” in which thousands of people became “desaparecidos.” Marshall Meyer’s work helped save the lives of dozens of people who were …
Investing $1 in free contraception yields $40 globally
By Dr. Bjørn Lomborg There was a time when we worried about a “population explosion”, with ever more people fighting over ever fewer resources. Yet, the population growth has decreased since the late 1960s, and resources have not run out. There are still population problems, but the two main ones are likely different from what …
Football deaths renew spotlight on Egypt’s notorious security forces
By James M. Dorsey A stampede at a Cairo stadium earlier this month, much like a politically-loaded football brawl in the Suez Canal city of Port Said three years ago, is shining a spotlight on Egypt’s unreformed, unabashedly violent, and politically powerful police and security forces amid confusion over what precisely happened and how many …
The Libyan Tango
For a government that did virtually nothing for families of the slain Egyptians as they sought help, this is a golden opportunity to paint an image of a responsive regime
UAE embarks on global campaign to market its brand of autocracy
By James M. Dorsey The United Arab Emirates has embarked on an all-out effort to broaden its regional influence and achieve global acceptance of its autocratic definition of terrorism that encompasses all non-violent, legitimate expressions of political Islam. The effort competes head on with Qatar’s pro-Islamist approach to soft power. It involves participation in the …