Latest in Tag: Mohammed Nosseir Highlight
Latest in Tag: Mohammed Nosseir
How Egypt lost its soft power edge
Egypt was always widely renowned for its soft power, which it used to shape and influence millions of Arabs – those living in the Middle East region as well as Arab emigrants abroad. Unfortunately, we have been steadily losing our clear superiority in this area over the last few decades, due to hindrances created by …
Egypt’s tourism challenges are internal, not external
By Mohammed Nosseir ‘Have you been to Egypt?’ is a question I ask most people I meet abroad, after introducing myself as an Egyptian. In response to my question, I usually receive one of two sets of replies: ‘No, I haven’t been there yet, but Egypt is on my dream list of countries that …
How much longer can Al-Sisi manage to manipulate Egyptian politics?
By Mohammed Nosseir People may think that authoritarian rule is an easy task. However, the truth is quite the opposite; it is a far more complicated undertaking than democratic rule. Whereas democratic rule is a collective work, in which responsibilities are shared among the President, members of Parliament, governmental institutions and others, authoritarian rule requires …
Egypt hurt by being completely security-driven
By Mohammed Nosseir Security is the name of the game in Egypt! All of the country’s key entities – government organisations, private sector corporations, universities, NGOs, sports clubs or even social cafés are influenced and driven by the state’s security mindset. Security entities are by far the most powerful organisations in Egypt, making the Minister …
Al-Sisi’s risky economic gamble: Egypt’s challenge lies in its present reality, not its potentiality
By Mohammed Nosseir The Egyptian government recently held a very successful Economic Summit. Although the conference was mentored by an Arab country and managed by an international agency, the credit for its success still goes to the Egyptian government for its open-mindedness in this respect. Nevertheless, in my opinion, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) has …
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 …
A word of advice to Al-Sisi: Prompt reform to prevent chaos
By Mohammed Nosseir President Al-Sisi ran a very successful election campaign, persuading millions of Egyptians to vote for him in order to save the country from the Muslim Brotherhood. So far, the president appears not to heed the fact that Egyptians initially revolted against the lack of justice, freedom and dignity that existed for almost …
United States: A tale of morals and cruelty
By Mohammed Nosseir There is no doubt that the United States of America is by far the most controversial nation among Arabs. Consecutive US Administrations have somehow managed to cultivate an intense love-hate relationship with millions of Arabs. The valid question ‘Why do they hate us?’, raised in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, can …
Let’s not fool ourselves – The roots of terrorism extend beyond Islam
By Mohammed Nosseir After committing their deadly crimes, terrorists often leave a message that Islam or the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) is the motive behind their crimes. Scholars logically follow this lead, digging deeper into the Quran in an attempt to solve the puzzle of Islam to determine what motivates Muslims to kill innocent people, and …
Freedom matters – even in a poor and uninformed nation
By Mohammed Nosseir Freedom is, and will continue to be, the most important attribute not only of genuinely democratic nations, but also of a people’s development and progress. Freedom is a gift from God that people can enjoy without burdening their respective governments. Yet autocratic rulers, who usually believe that they are right, are unable to …
Upgrading Egyptian mentality should take priority over expanding its infrastructure
By Mohammed Nosseir An annex to the Suez Canal is rapidly being built, thousands of new roads are under construction, bridges are being erected to overcome traffic bottlenecks, hundreds of schools are in the pipeline – these are just a few examples of exploits the Egyptian government has announced over the past few months. Other …
Which is better for Al-Sisi: Strengthening Egyptian society or neutering it
By Mohammed Nosseir President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is perceived as the strongman of Egypt, constantly claims that his goal is to lead a strong country – yet he is actually working on neutering Egyptian society. To ensure that it will not be the source of any solid opposition, steps have been taken to …
How does Egyptian culture influence its politics?
By Mohammed Nosseir Culture matters! And when it comes to Egyptian politics, it matters enormously. In the absence of a proper political structure, where the existing structure is often altered to better serve the ruler, culture plays an essential role in mobilising Egyptians. To better understand the dynamics of Egyptian politics, one must first understand …
How are Egyptian politics manoeuvred and formed?
When the melody plays, you are obliged to sing along!
Should Egypt be governed by majority rule or by rule of law?
By Mohammed Nosseir The term ‘majority’ could be a very pleasant one, used to refer to a segment of any given society. In reality, rulers and citizens tend to commit a number of mistakes based on a false assumption known as ‘majority rule’. This is what has been happening in our attempt to develop a …
Middle East Realism – How power completely overcomes values
By Mohammed Nosseir What matters in the Middle East is the reality on the ground. Having good ideas and some moral values – but no power – makes you a useless entity, while possessing power but no ethical values can sustain your presence for a lengthy period and enable you to gain more ground. This …
Egypt’s identity: Hovering between love and rule of law
By Mohammed Nosseir Egyptian rulers gamble when they think that they can manipulate the national identity to serve their political goals. Each ruler has his own perception of the Egyptian identity that he wants to impose on society either through expressing love or by applying harsh laws that aim at fine-tuning citizens to fit into a …
How uncertainty managed to negatively affect the Egyptian economy
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt is in need of a coherent economic vision complemented by explicit economic policies. Undermining both, or using economic initiatives as substitutes and surprising citizens with an assortment of mega investment projects (even if they are beneficial) will not do our country any good. In a very short period, Al-Sisi has managed …
Egypt keeps changing suits – but its mindset remains intact
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt has not changed a bit! It claims to have gone through two revolutions in less than three years and it has managed to have four different rulers since Mubarak was toppled from power, and has been shaped by the diverse styles of its successive rulers. However, the same mindset that was …
Do Egyptians deserve a better life?
By Mohammed Nosseir In principle, every citizen deserves a better life; why should people suffer if their lives can be improved? However, a better life won’t be dished out and served up on a golden plate. To lead better lives, citizens should not only work hard, they must abide by a number of values that …
Egypt needs a fair and firm leader – not a hero
By Mohammed Nosseir Egyptians are looking for a hero, a person who will magically solve their problems with minimal contribution on their part.. Egypt’s current president, aware of this issue, capitalised on this fragile emotional bond to garner additional votes and reinforce his popularity. It would be a serious mistake for President Al-Sisi to believe that …
Does Egypt need to use more muscles or more brain?
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt is certainly facing a political crisis. Whether you perceive 30 June to be a revolution or a coup, its consequences have, undeniably, driven the country in an unpleasant direction. The nation is polarised, split into two main political groups, and numerous terrorist acts are being committed across the country, hindering political …
Is politics about dirt or values?
By Mohammed Nosseir ‘Politics is a dirty game!’ is a phrase often used to justify the behavior of politicians. If you are a believer in this maxim, please vote for the most corrupt politicians you know and bring them into government or parliament. This will ensure that, ultimately, Egypt’s governing authority and legislative council will …
Egyptians’ lives: Between reality and fantasy
By Mohammed Nosseir Egyptians live two parallel lives: the life of reality that they struggle through daily and a fantasy existence of which they dream, a fantasy that they feel is quite close to reality, but have never managed to reach. Although the gap between the two is large and constantly growing, most Egyptians don’t …
How Egyptians are trapped in polarity & prejudice
By Mohammed Nosseir “I accuse you of high treason!” is a phrase frequently used by Egyptians in the course of political discourse. Most of the people who use the phrase don’t really think of its actual meaning, but it is a good tool for polarisation and expressing prejudice. Apparently, Egyptian society prefers accusations and criticism …
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. …