Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
Morsi: out of political options
President Mohamed Morsi has been stubborn and closed-minded towards his interpretation of today’s events. Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood clearly fell in the state’s institutional trap. Similar to Mubarak’s last 10 years in office, Morsi over this past year was constantly losing contact with the street and relying more and more on the state and …
Salvation Now
There isn’t a talk show or an article which does not attempt to take a stab at the current mesmerising state of Egyptian affairs. The guests are different, the writing styles are diverse but the burning question remains unchanged: “What is the solution to all of this?” This question on its own carries within it …
Legitimacy v Rebellion, Mr President
Mr President, Because of you, Shar’aia (legitimacy) and Tamarod (rebellion) are currently gearing for a face-off on the streets of Egypt on 30 June. Only a year after Egyptians elected you, their first civilian president, calls have spread over the last two months for your removal. A year ago, Egyptians flocked to ballot stations to …
Transition in Qatar: Will he or won’t he?
By James M. Dorsey Conventional wisdom predicts that 33-year old Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will adhere to his father’s use of sports as a key foreign, defence and security policy tool to embed Qatar in the international community. Experts and pundits suggest that Sheikh Tamim at best will nibble at the fringe of …
What is the nature of the relationship between the three groups of the political Islamist movement?
In previous articles, I went into detail regarding the three groups of the Islamist political movement: the political Islamist parties, at the heart of which is the Muslim Brotherhood; the religion-based political Islamist parties, at the heart of which is the Al-Nour party; and the radical Islamist parties, at the heart of which is the …
Fuel and fear
Returning from a trip abroad I find a city that has changed in unexpected ways.
Day of reckoning: 30 June or later
It feels like a day of reckoning for a reason, because it is one. As 30 June 2013 draws nearer, it does not feel at all like a repeat of 25 January 2011. Instead, it appears to be a repeat of 28 January 2011, combined with the protests of early December 2012 outside the presidential …
All the roads lead to this
Egypt is on the brink, and everyone’s nerves are frazzled. Everyone is both optimistic, and yet terrified about the outcome of 30 June. Given that this is a day of an unlikely alliance between the social conservatives (old regime supporters), the revolutionaries and the independents, anything could happen. While one is operating on very limited …
New draft NGO Law squeezes civil society
By Sahar Aziz and Hany Thabet The executive’s latest draft governing non-governmental organisations (“NGO Law”) is a harbinger of what is to come – a brand of social reform that suppresses independence and plurality in civil society not much different than that state of affairs under Egypt’s deposed former president. Soon after it was released, …
How will the Muslim Brotherhood react to 30 June’s “Tamarod?”
By Yasmin Hashim The science of politics is all about setting expectations; political scientists call it “political forecast.” This forecast is based on variables such as history, the norm, general pattern, contemporary comparison, and group interest. An in-depth study of the Muslim Brotherhood from within, its history, personnel, and group interests, allows us to deduce …
Peace talks, but money speaks louder
Could new joint efforts between Palestinian and Israeli business leaders revitalize dialogue where previous initiatives have been unsuccessful?
Sunday blues
By Philip Whitfield Who? What? When? Where? Why? Frequently we’re asked to explain ourselves. The most asked hereabouts: What will happen on 30 June? It’s promiscuous to flirt with what-ifs. Better to explain why the protest will fizzle out. Sunday is a black day for democracy, rivals aiming to win, not warm. Why climb Mount …
The greatest act of treason
By Taher El Moataz Bellah 30 June is a day that is regarded by many as the second revolution and the first against the Muslim Brotherhood regime. However, it is useful to remember what has happened to Egyptians since 25 January up till now. Even though legitimate demands were chanted, they were never transformed into …
The old regime strikes back
I haven’t thought about the “old regime” in quite a while. In fact, I think the Muslim Brotherhood’s unique act over the past year has made most of us realise the new lows that we have reached with Morsi and his people. Mubarak’s regime always mixed corruption with inefficiency. Morsi’s regime maintained the same formula, …
Morsi and the erosion of legitimacy
These days, where rhetoric runs high and adrenaline runs even higher, it is worth taking a step back to take a look at things with a cooler head. Having said this, it is worth taking the news with a grain of salt. The latest chatter to have become widely accepted as fact surrounds the mandate …
Is Egypt’s stance on the Blue Nile Dam legally justified?
By Zeray Yihdego Egypt and Ethiopia are in a war of words concerning the damming of the Blue Nile. Ethiopia intends the dam to generate 6000 megawatts of electricity, which is equivalent to six nuclear power plants, in order to support and improve its sustainable development standing, thereby increasing the living standards of millions of …
Morsi turns to Syria and football to polish his tarnished image
By James M. Dorsey President Mohamed Morsi and his flailing Muslim Brotherhood have turned to foreign policy and soccer to improve their battered image in advance of a planned mass anti-government protest at the end of this month and mounting calls for his resignation. In a bid to distract attention from his domestic woes, curry …
Brazil awakens in search of its rights
Much like Turkey’s recent protests, Brazil’s tariff hike is only poking at the surface of public unrest
What are the ingredients and social background of the radical Islamist group?
Last article, I explained the social background of the second group of the political Islamist movement, which was the religion-based Islamist parties. This time, I will explain that of the third group of the Islamist political movement, the radical Islamist group. By radical, I mean the Islamist groups that are officially active in the political …
Decolonisation and the Muslim Brotherhood
By Nesreen Salem The social policies of the new, “revolutionary”, fundamentally Islamist government are unabashedly cliche. But that is of no surprise, for across time and geography societies which have brought down a failing dictatorial regime have universally opted to next elect a conservative one, because let’s face it; freedom is a scary prospect …
Op-ed review: US-Egyptian relations
Columnist Ziad Bahaa El-Din explores the reasons behind the current tension between Egypt and the United States, the uproar of US public opinion and Egypt’s path to democracy. Ziad Bahaa El-Din The United States and the democratic path in Egypt Al-Shorouk Newspaper Columnist Ziad Bahaa El-Din begins his article with the trial of foreign NGO …
The Wannabe
One of the few remaining benefits of living in Egypt these days is the ridiculous amount of entertainment that our Islamist rulers provide. In a scene that’s beyond parody, a number of Islamists held a massive conference to support Syria, which in their world means “Let’s kill those Shi’a Infidels”. In the first ever display …
30 June business risks
Planned protests mean 30 June will be a big day in politics for Egypt. For companies, it increases short-term risks and challenges of doing business, largely because of the disruptions. Things can start to improve if the day and the Tamarod campaign are successful in moving Egyptian leaders representing different interests towards honest dialogue. Until …
Iran’s election augurs a better future
By Cesar Chelala Hassan Rowhani’s election as the new Iranian president bodes well not only for that country but for the world as well, tired of the senseless rhetoric of the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When, at a campaign speech, Mr Rowhani stated, “We have no option other than moderation,” he was also defining what …
Op-ed Review: Egypt’s general budget
Economist Mahmoud Al-Khafif addresses the 2013-2014 budget and the current economic policies of the government. Balancing between the rich and the poor Mahmoud Al-Khafif Al-Shorouk Newspaper Egypt’s national budget is an indicator of governmental policies, economist Mahmoud Al-Khafif believes. For example, Al-Khafif writes, if the government chooses to pursue loans to remedy the budget for …
God’s goons
By Philip Whitfield Who’s really behind the Battle of the Nile? Here’s a clue: Gold and girls. Don’t be fooled by hydroelectricity or irrigation. Focus on lust and greed. Skedaddle if you hear shankilla. It’s Ethiopian for slave. Head for the hills if they shout agbert – slavery permitted. Beware of God. He spake of …
Egypt’s biggest oil debts
By Farah Halime, Rebel Economy Egypt’s state oil company, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, is in big trouble. It has racked up billions of dollars of debt in the last decade with some estimating its dues to banks and oil companies is as high as $20 billion. The magnitude of EGPC’s debts is such …
Op-ed review: 30 June and the Muslim Brotherhood
With the demonstrations of 30 June approaching, columnists ponder the fate of Egypt, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Suleiman Shafiq 30 June, zero hour for Egypt’s division by the Muslim Brotherhood Al-Watan Newspaper Columnist Suleiman Shafiq begins the article by writing that the Tamarod campaign has scared the Islamist groups to the point where they …
10X for education in the developing world
By Vint Cerf When one of my colleagues at Google was growing up in India, his school had four textbooks for an entire class. At exam time, they would queue up outside the library, waiting for a classmate to return a textbook so the next student could check it out. Now, we’re able to give …
30 June and reinventing the revolution wheel
As 30 June approaches, debates and speculations are already running high. Some are experiencing an adrenaline rush, as they brace for the second wave of the revolution. However, some are playing down the expected outcome while others are skeptical and waiting to see how the events will turn before weighing in with their opinion. One …