Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Morsi: the symbol and the man
The deposed head of state proved an ineffective president, has he found his calling as a silent symbol of the Brotherhood he wasn’t fit to lead? Despite official visits from the African Union Delegation and the European Union’s Catherine Ashton, Morsi has not yet appeared publicly, nor has his location been released since his ouster. …
Boxed in
By Philip Whitfield What’s up? In the media Egypt is fixated with wrangling, fighting and shooting. When you go out people are shopping, mixing and fasting. How much would you give to keep it that way? A million bucks? $29.95 is a steal. Karima Bennoune takes us on an eye-opener. Bennoune is a professor of …
Brotherhood and violence
The Muslim Brotherhood refuses to be anything but a problematic “existence”. Trying to identify what kind of political entity the Brotherhood is has always been problematic. Trying to work with the Brotherhood during Mubarak’s late years hasn’t been an easy process either. Adapting to the Brotherhood’s repeated administrative failures during former president Mohamed Morsi’s presidency …
Close, but no cigar
Egypt is locked into an uncomfortable anticipation zone. Everyone is bracing to see how the current events will unfold. Will a sweeping security intervention be deployed to clear the sprawling sit-ins? Will a last minute bid to reconcile be made? The only option left is for us to wake up and this would all have …
What do Egyptians want from the United States?
Sometimes when I find myself exposed to US policy regarding Egypt, I hear a lot of commentary from American researchers and journalists. What draws my attention most with regards to some of these commentaries, and attracts the most displeasure with regards to the volume of criticism levelled against American policy throughout the region, is when …
Grieving the dead
While Egypt buries the dead the personal effects of their demise often gets lost in the politics
Lebanese sports scandals fuel tensions
By James M Dorsey As Lebanon, a country in which almost every facet of life is defined by sectarian fault lines, teeters in the shadow of the civil war in next door Syria, the country is also being rocked by multiple mushrooming sports scandals. Months after a massive football match-fixing scandal became public and three …
The Dark Tunnel
This should be a Happy Story If this revolution had a motto, it would be “Everything you ever wanted, in the worst possible way”. Conventional wisdom said that if there was ever a revolution against Mubarak, then the Muslim Brotherhood would win. Conventional Wisdom said that if the Islamists ever made it to power they …
Democracy is (still) the solution
In Egypt, neither Islamism nor militarism is the solution. What we need is a visionary founding document, and the stillborn constitution of 1954 fits the bill. It is a sign of just how awry the situation has become this past week that Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya actually sounds like one of the more sensible players on the …
It’s not just austerity vs stimulus for Egypt
By Farah Halime – Rebel Economy The government’s tactic to avoid major austerity measures and instead try to stimulate the economy by pumping in new funds may be popular among Egyptians, but risks delaying the country’s economic recovery. The new minister of finance, the sixth since Mubarak stepped down in early 2011, said: “one of the important …
If you are not with us, you are against us
For three years, Egyptians have been taking to the streets demanding democracy, social justice and freedom, and for three years they have been denied. They are being cornered over and over into making tough choices, then end up choosing what they deem “less horrible” and the results have never lived up to their aspirations. As …
Avoiding austerity, Ahmed Galal is betting on Egypt’s economy
Egypt’s new Minister of Finance, Ahmed Galal, has chosen. He prefers a strategy of stimulating the economy over a focus on austerity. This is bold. It may not seem like it, especially in the midst of the manly, grand ultimatums we have seen in the last month, but in economic terms, it is. Pushing for …
New history lessons in Egypt
By Tom Rollins The history of the Egyptian revolution is still being written. At one time that might have been an optimistic slogan scrawled somewhere on Mohamed Mahmoud or a cutesy ending to a book destined for the bestseller shelves. The Generals and The Pharoahs: Egypt in Counter-revolution by Professor A. Whoever. It could still do quite …
Free Faramawy
By Taher El Moataz Bellah On 28 January 2011 Mohamed Faramawy was present in Tahrir Square. Despite being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, his decision to join was motivated by a duty to topple a corrupt regime and not by the orders of the outdated and opportunistic guidance office. Faramawy, 31, did not throw …
Culling youth
Egypt haemorrhages. Stretcher-bearers bus bodies, fallen replaced. Helicopters swoop and hover. Tormented faces agonise. None dares call it outright civil war; just as none want to admit a coup is a coup. The memory of happier times scurrying across Tahrir Square for a bite to eat or taking in a movie in Heliopolis is fading. …
Moving Egypt back to the democratic path
By Catherine Ashton Even in a country as turbulent as Egypt is today, some traditions transcend the sharpest divisions and provide brief periods of calm. Last week, on my drive into Cairo we saw very few cars. The city’s legendary traffic jams had disappeared. It was just after dusk. People were at home with their …
The Sisi Propaganda
So the day is done and as expected millions took to the streets in response to General Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi’s call to authorise the army to “fight terrorism.” Scenes from yesterday’s different marches and demonstrations show how confusing things were. It was indeed more of a pro-army and pro-Sisi mobilisation than an anti-terrorism event. I …
Beyond “crowd democracy”
A new buzz word is being coined these days: Crowd Democracy. Basically, in the absence of a system, an alternative system is created, or as Wael Nawara puts it: “As representative democracy failed to deliver, people resorted to alternatives.” The recent call to rally by Army Chief General Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi has sent an outpouring …
No one is going anywhere
The 30th of June was a coup that wasn’t popularly supported. Police sent a few thousand plain-clothed personnel to Tahrir Square on that day to demonstrate. The media, decidedly against President Mohamed Morsi, hyped up the demonstrations by showing footage from the 18 days in 2011 in an effort to exaggerate Morsi’s opposition and deceive …
Ten reasons why Egypt is vital to US economy and security
By Juan Cole Whatever the reasons the US public is less excited about Egypt’s ongoing revolution, the country is in fact important to the US. A Pew poll shows that far fewer Americans are following events in Egypt closely now than in January-February 2011. Actually, about the same percentage are following it “fairly closely” as …
This is not the time to be silent
Adel Heine shares her reaction to the virtual feast of half-truths and bold-faced lies of the past few weeks
Gulf rivalries spill onto the football pitch
By James M Dorsey The battle between Iran and various Gulf states for the identity of the energy-rich region has spilled onto its football pitches. It’s the Persian Gulf League v the Arabian Gulf League. The struggle erupted when the United Arab Emirates, alongside Saudi Arabia, the Gulf’s most fervent opponent of political Islam, recently …
Days of impunity
On 2 February 2011, I was in Tahrir Square and I left in the early afternoon to go home. Within a half hour of my leaving, camels, horses and thugs attacked Tahrir Square, resulting in more than a dozen deaths and hundreds wounded. That day is now etched into Egyptian revolutionary history as the Battle …
When was the army outside of the political game in Egypt?
Those who say that what happened on 30 June was a popular revolution supported by the army do not deny that it was the main reason behind the achievement of their goal in overthrowing Morsi, just like it was on 25 January in overthrowing Mubarak. Like Mubarak, Morsi has supporters who believe that he is …
Freedom of choice, the real birthright
Unlike eye colour and skin tone, religion is not hereditary. This reality needs to be reflected in Egyptian identity documents and personal status laws. In Egypt, like in many other traditional societies, the idea that religion is hereditary is so widespread that it is written into the law and children are stamped with the seal …
The murky waters of June 30, part 3:Old players and new games
As we move ahead as a nation with a new transition plan, it’s important to note who is and who isn’t a player in this new phase, and where they fall in this new state order. People who are out of the stage of influence are both the Muslim Brotherhood and the independent Jan 25 …
Opportunity as social justice
Interim president Adly Mansour gave an excellent interview on state TV Saturday. He was very frank and clear about major challenges Egypt faces. A high priority for him is the implementation of the law on minimum and maximum wages. Setting a minimum wage is the government trying to guarantee “bread”. This is the minimum level …
I had a dream
By Philip Whitfield Nodding off, the scene segues from Downtown’s crepitating, clattering convulsion to a salubrious setting – a favourite picnic spot in the newly greened Rabaa Touristic Village. Families and friends have gathered, sedately celebrating their communion. A podium awaits the once reviled now revered. Behold, he comes from the East. He alights from …
International education in Egypt – the transition towards more transparency
By Henri Kors When I joined ISTER Ltd. and came to Egypt, I was not surprised at the lack of transparency given by the majority of the international schools in the country. After all, there was no organisation or body that was monitoring the entire process of the Teaching & Learning Environment. Hence, the journey began. …
How we create Gods
Three weeks have passed since the Egyptian army’s commander-in-chief Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi made his very impressive and deservingly historic speech announcing the ouster of Mohamed Morsi from the presidency. Those three weeks saw many developments: politically, economically and even socially. Among these developments is an unmistakable and blatantly obvious increase in the army’s popularity. It …