Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Egypt: Absent Justice
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt is a country that has been lacking justice for decades. Two revolutions and thousands of marches and demonstrations demanding justice, among other things, have taken place in all Egyptian governorates. So far, however, nothing has been achieved, be it the amendment of laws or the actual application of justice on the ground. …
From the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute
The annual session of States Parties to the Statute of the International Criminal Court is a venue for all States Parties
General Sisi is no saviour for Egypt’s non-Islamists
By Nervana Mahmoud Quick glances at the events that lead to the 30 June protests and the subsequent army take-over on 3 July are enough for any observer to understand that Sisi’s success resulted mainly in his ability to garner a wide coalition against the Muslim Brotherhood. This support included a wide section of the …
Why Muslims should love secularism
Though secularism is widely misunderstood as anti-religious and iconoclastic, all it means is the neutrality of the state on religious affairs
A bad environment negatively affects children’s health
By Dr Cesar Chelala Millions of children die every year as a result of environment-related diseases. Their deaths could be prevented by using low-cost and sustainable tools and strategies for improving the environment. A World Health Organization (WHO) study showed that 13 million deaths worldwide could be prevented by improving the environment. In some countries, …
Editor’s letter: Egyptians between the two Gamals (2 of 5): The Mubarakonomics of dismantling Nasser’s state
Ousted president Hosni Mubarak had his own economic model that can be described as an incoherent blend combining the disadvantages of both capitalism and socialism in one entity. We can easily call it Mubarakonomics. A pro-rich neoliberal model in a fat nonfunctioning extremely centralised state. Under such a model, the middle and lower income groups …
Turkish football’s financial crisis potentially sharpens political divide
By James M. Dorsey Financially stressed Turkish football clubs are becoming pawns in the political struggle between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and militant football fans who rank prominently among his detractors as football pitches and university campuses emerge as major battlefields between the government and its detractors. Critics of Mr Erdogan charge that the …
What are the chances of mergers and alliances inside the democratic movement?
In the previous two articles, we surveyed the map of parties and groups inside the Egyptian democratic movement. There were four major directions inside the movement, three of which were already established: liberals, national Nasserites, and leftists. The fourth group is newly-established: the social democrats. Beginning with the Nasserites: the National Conciliation Party and the …
On popularity and bubbles
Stories by foreign journalists on Egypt usually come in themes. One period it’s all about sexual harassment, the other it’s all about Egypt’s very bad liberals, and currently it’s all about the Sisi Personality cult. Articles probing all sides of the “story”, from the cult’s prevalence to what it means to the role of the …
Crosses flanked by Crescents won’t cut it
Christmas Eve. New Year’s Eve mass. A wedding. None of these should turn into a funeral – but that is exactly what has happened in Egypt. The most recent round of violence, the targeting of a Coptic wedding procession in Giza, left four people dead and around a dozen wounded. The response is likely to …
The right to say NO!
On 23 March 2011, under the rule of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and two months after the 25 January Revolution, the then-cabinet of Essam Sharaf approved a protest law that criminalised strikes, protests, demonstrations and sit-ins that “interrupt private or state owned businesses or affect the economy in any way”. The law …
Social enterprises: The missing piece to protecting Egypt’s natural treasures?
Social enterprises could be powerful implementers of Minister Iskandar’s longer-term environmental agenda, particularly for protected areas and ecotourism development.
Another church down: The progression of terrorism
I was bitterly shocked by the news of the machine gun attack on the church in Warraq. This does not mean that I was unaware of terrorist attacks in Sinai, and it does not make the victims of the church attack more important than those of other attacks on security institutions. But whether we like …
Contemporary Egyptian non-sense part 1: Suez Canal in Pounds!
In modern days Egypt, so many ideas grow out of the blues captivating the minds and souls of the population. Some of these ideas are political, economical, or social. While some fade away fast, others never seem to go out of fashion, surfacing every now and again as if begging to be shot down. Over …
With friends like Sisi, who needs enemies?
Last week, the interim cabinet approved a controversial new law restricting Egyptians’ ability to hold peaceful assembly. While the law is yet to be ratified by Interim President Mansour, it represents a massive, draconian step backward for Egypt. The law’s ambiguity potentially gives legal basis for aggressive suppression of protests, and in doing so, it …
Mosques and politics in Egypt
By Nervana Mahmoud Nothing reflects the essence of Islam better than the pilgrimage to Mecca. It sums up the faith in a nutshell: humility, reflection and most importantly, equality. In the haj, women stand side by side with men; the rich stand alongside the poor; brown people alongside white. All are equal in the journey …
US Freezing of Military Aid to Egypt: How Much of a Dent?
By James M. Dorsey THE OBAMA administration’s decision to impose sanctions on Egypt’s military-appointed government following the killing of 51 anti-military protestors in Egypt illustrates the US’ limited leverage on one of its closest allies in the Middle East and North Africa. It also reflects its difficulty in striking a balance between acknowledging that the …
Educate girls to alleviate poverty
By Dr Cesar Chelala Inequality and unequal access to education holds millions of girls and women back across the world. While the “gender gap” in education has narrowed over the past decade, girls are still at a disadvantage, particularly in getting access to high school education. And women still constitute two-thirds of the world’s illiterate …
What’s behind the Nairobi and Peshawar attacks?
By Akbar Ahmed Washington, DC – The outrageous killings at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya and the All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan last month once again prompted legitimate questions about what can be done to stop terrorist violence. While many commentators instinctively pointed to an Islamic motif in the attacks, the perpetrators …
Hezbollah is No Resistance
By Anno Bunnik Extremist movements and parties tend to disguise their true colours. The English Defence League, notorious for its racism, calls itself a ‘Human Rights’ Organisation. Dutch politician Geert Wilders, bent on banning the Quran, mosques and immigration, heads the ‘Freedom’ Party. Hezbollah, the self-proclaimed champion of Islamic ‘resistance’ is not alone in its …
Why AUC needs a new constitution
By Taher El Moataz Bellah The current structure of the student government with its three branches; the student union, the student senate and the student court (previously known as student judicial board) is greatly inspired by the Madisonian design of the US government that is named after the famous James Madison who was the architect …
Death penalty abolition: A Swedish view
By Charlotta Sparre The 10th of October marks the World Day against the Death Penalty. As a form of punishment, death penalty concerns everyone’s right to life. It is not only cruel, inhuman and degrading, but also irreversible and irreparable. No country and no legal system is immune to the miscarriage of justice. The state, …
A wave of diplomatic progress at the United Nations
By Secretary General Ban Ki-moon There are few better ways to take the world’s pulse than through the unique convening power of the United Nations. Over the past two weeks, during the whirlwind of meetings and speeches that characterises the opening of the annual session of the General Assembly, I met with the leaders or …
Egypt’s misguided liberals
By Farah Halime, Rebel Economy Questions were already being raised about Egypt’s new liberals and whether they really were as democratic as they claimed to be. But, as Sharif Abdel Kouddous wrote in the Nation recently, “the turning point came on August 14, when the military and security forces brutally cleared the two mass sit-ins in …
US aid: “Recalibration” or change of strategy?
The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it would halt the delivery of large-scale military systems and cash assistance to Egypt’s government. It said “credible progress” must be made towards free and fair elections. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States is “recalibrating” its military aid to Egypt. While State Department did …
The Evolution of Tamarod
By Nicholas Gjorvad Early last May, Tamarod was merely a small, upstart group created by a handful of rather unknown youth activists. Two months later, the campaign was known throughout Egypt, the Middle East, and the world. The original goal of this campaign was simple: force Mohamed Morsi to resign as President of Egypt. The …
The EU arms ban on Egypt: a regional response for a limited change?
By Justina Poskeviciute On 21 August, EU foreign ministers called for an emergency meeting in Brussels as a response to the turmoil seen on the streets of Cairo. The EU states have suspended arms export licences for any military equipment that could be potentially used for internal repressions by the Egyptian military. The context in …
Editor’s letter: Egyptians between the two Gamals (1 of 5)
Bread, freedom and social justice! A slogan and a statement that simply explains why Egyptians had to head to Tahrir Square on 25 January, 2011 and what their aspirations were. But have they reached what they sacrificed for? Or has the revolution crashed? There are two difficult questions for observers to provide consistent and quick …
Qatar: Perfecting the art of scoring own goals
By James M. Dorsey State-owned Qatari television network Al Jazeera prides itself on hard hitting, let-the chips-fall-where-they fall reporting. Yet, it has systematically avoided in recent days the one story that potentially could affect the very future, shape and security of the wealthy Gulf state: controversy over the timing of the 2022 World Cup and …
What are the inner makings of Egypt’s democracy movement? (Part 2 of 2)
In our previous article on the inner workings of Egypt’s democratic movement, we discussed the country’s Nasserist and leftist political camps. Here, we will seek to do the same with Egypt’s social democratic and liberal movements. The largest and most important party within the former, and perhaps even the larger civil democratic movement as a …