Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
The other face around..
By Inji Mounib It was expected from the very beginning. They will never let it go. Since their sudden ascent to power less than couple of months ago, Ikhwan did not sustain any efforts to assure power, control, dominance and absolute sovereignty. The face had changed many times and yet the dark one was always …
Georgia moves ahead – but the 2008 war consequences remain to be dealt with
By Grigol Vashadze, Foreign Minister of Georgia In August 2008, thousands of Russian troops and armour rolled into Georgia, as Russian aviation was pounding the country’s military, infrastructural and civilian targets. Four years on, Georgia stands strong in asserting its identity as a liberal, democratic state, its economy is surging ahead and the government works …
Review: Morsy, terrorism and power cuts fill op-ed columns
Columnists across various Egyptian newspapers are tackling diverse issues, yet all rotate around Morsy’s recent decisions of changing leadership in a set of institutions and Egyptians’ frustration with the very frequent power cuts affecting the cycle of their daily life Causes of terrorism Amr Al-Shobaki Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Branching out from last week’s attack …
Editor’s letter: The Egyptian politics of ‘either-or’
Political divergence between those supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and those supporting the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) has reached a peak since President Mohamed Morsy officially came to power. Choosing one side over the other is a political right; however, the justifications for any choice should be legitimate and well-weighed, taking into account future …
Sinai: Unanswered questions
Like many other Egyptians, the attack on the Egyptian soldiers in Sinai last Sunday took me by surprise. The cause of my surprise was not the timing of the attack in Ramadan, or that it was done at Iftar time, or that a Muslim could kill a fellow Muslim during Ramadan (a few of the …
Review: Sinai continues to overwhelm opinion pages
Egyptian columnists are prolonging their analysis of the recent attacks on the Sinai peninsula, floating theories and pointing fingers. The Government and President Mohamed Morsy also come in for criticism, particularly over a perceived lack of transparency. Mahmoud Al-Khodairy believes that the cause of the Sinai attacks was the army being diverted from its core …
Ending the Legacy of Hatred
Egyptians reacted with shock and grief to the news of an armed attack on an Egyptian border post in North Sinai earlier this week. The fact that the attack occurred just as the victims—more than 16 Egyptian border guards—were breaking their Ramadan fast made the deadly incident all the more tragic. Speaking to reporters after …
On National Mourning and National Division
By Alia Assam The already divided political sphere in Egypt is being further fragmented, just days after the tragic assault on an Egyptian border checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula, which left 16 officers and conscripts dead, and many more wounded. With this unprecedented situation, Egypt is witnessing for almost the first time a lurking threat …
Review: More analysis about Sinai in Egypt’s opinion pages
After Egypt was struck by grief, mourning the 16 killed Egyptian soldiers in Rafah, columnists in almost all Egyptian newspapers have offered more analysis of the probable perpetuators of the attack raising questions on parties that helped this incident to succeed. Who killed the Egyptian soldiers in Sinai? Tamer Wagih Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper In his …
The Armed Forces Inc.
Ending military rule is not just a bleak prospect; it is unequivocally a far-fetched dream.
Was the choice of Hesham Qandil a new mistake for the Muslim Brotherhood?
Most Egyptians received the news of Qandil’s appointment with surprise that quickly turned into deep resentment
Review: Rafah’s martyrs overwhelm Egyptian columnists
The recent attacks on the North Sinai border and the death of the 16 army soldiers have hit almost all Egyptian newspapers. Columnists have not only condemned the terrorist assault, but have also suggested plans to redevelop the peninsula and heighten the Egyptian security presence to avoid future attacks. Amr Al-Shobaki Rafah’s martyrs Al-Masry …
An open, free Internet drives development
The Internet stands at a crossroads. Built from the bottom up, powered by the people, it has become a powerful economic engine and a positive social force
Different angles to analyse Rafah’s turmoil
At midnight on Sunday, 16 Egyptian border guards were pronounced dead. One might imagine that they were just sitting together during iftar, enjoying some of Sinai’s tasty dates and milk when unrevealed gunmen abruptly shot them dead. Some of those killed might have even been taking their last bite of bread at that very moment. …
Entropy
Explore our magical skies, and try to avoid getting shot down by stray bullets that are being shot by neighbour to kill neighbour, all over this blessed land
The rise of the thugs
Stepping back and taking a good look at the news, I realised that according to the media, violence has reached unprecedented levels in this country
On Secularism and Islam in Egypt
Among many secular liberalists lies a contradiction when it comes to raising Islam in debates concerning political or civil affairs. For example there is the common complaint that preachers have become very harsh or that Islamists are supposedly negating the tolerant and merciful side of Islam, but simultaneously they claim that Islam should remain more …
Editor’s letter: Morsy, the good brother
Theoretically speaking, we could argue that the one month President Mohamed Morsy has spent in office is not enough to judge his performance as Egypt’s first leader after the revolution. However, practically speaking, it seems enough. Given a few facts regarding Morsy’s attainment of the presidency, we can understand feelings of anger among the electorate, …
Qandil’s Government: failing the political diversity test
It is too early to judge the policies or the performance of Hesham Qandil’s government, but it is a suitable time to judge the political significance of its makeup and what this represents. The selection of ministers in Qandil’s government is the first real step towards creating President Mohamed Morsy’s administration. During his first month …
Coming at you in ‘stereo,’ the great, late, qat debate
There I was, in an official government building, about to send my body through the cathinine, cathidine, and sugars, tannins, and vitamin C ringer that is chewing Qat
Hopes fade for an inclusive government
Many Egyptians now doubt the new cabinet will match expectations for a reformist government capable of addressing the pressing
challenges
Medals and David Bowie: We can be heroes
Unfortunately the unity that is touted as being part of the Olympic spirit is only a national uniform deep. What we do at the Olympics is compete.
The rise of the falling writer
We really have become a fickle readership. We’ve got a lot of choices and you’ve got exactly three seconds to tell me
Fears of corruption occupy writers’ minds
After the recent scandal of the fake Olympic uniform given to the Egyptian Olympic delegation, many writers have expressed their fears that corruption might reinstate itself in a post-revolutionary Egypt. Some columnists have shared the same concern while considering the actions of owners of satellite TV channels who strive to please President Mohamed Morsy and …
Review: Sectarian strife and the cabinet are in focus
Egypt’s most prominent writers reflect their opinions on major issues facing Egypt
The Mirage State of Egypt
Ladies and Gentlemen, congratulations: you are living in a mirage state
At least think clean!
By Alya Essam Driving out of Cairo’s neighbourhood of Dokki last weekend, I saw a group of youthful girls and boys dressed up in yellow phosphoric coloured vests and latex gloves. A group was holding brooms, and the other was simply collecting piles of waste in the nearest green-coloured garbage bins. I mumbled and recalled …
Another person’s trash…
Even something as trivial as refuse can make a difference between two countries
A T-shirt that brings down a nation
The waters are always on the verge of boiling, waiting for a little something to burn up a whole country
Challenges for the new Minister of Awqaf
Regardless of the exact role the ministry is to play; the current role it maintains is negative and should be structurally adjusted.