Latest in Tag: opinion Highlight
Latest in Tag: opinion
Ideas to boost productivity among government employees
By Mohammed Nosseir Egypt is widely known for its vast government bureaucracy. Inefficiency, low productivity and over-employment are noticeable characteristics of this bureaucracy that negatively affect the implementation and progress of all government initiatives and projects. Not only are these drawbacks recognised by economic institutions and citizens; they are also acknowledged by cabinet members themselves. …
Notes from America: The usual suspects
By Ahmed Tharwat I live in a northern state in the US called Minnesota, which is also considered the “ice box” of the US for its long, brutal winters, where even the lakes and rivers freeze over. The state is a lot smaller than Egypt, with a population of just 5 million people. According to …
The Brezhnev Option: How to dissolve ‘Islamic State’
By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD Steve Jobs said that creativity was connecting things. Here are two connections that will help us creatively destroy “Islamic State” (IS). First, an old talk by Bertrand Badie at the American University in Cairo (AUC) on 31 October 2001, entitled “September 11th and the Powerlessness of Power”. Badie actually argued …
Why does Al-Sisi not sacrifice?
A year has passed and another year is starting with the same questions in people’s minds since Al-Sisi’s rule in Egypt started. Where is Al-Sisi leading us? What is his plan for the economic recovery of Egypt? When will corruption be abolished? Because I was like the rest, immersed in Al-Sisi’s speeches and dreams, …
Iran’s writing on the wall: Ethnic minorities and others assert themselves
By James M. Dorsey Recent months have witnessed a series of unrelated, nationwide protests in Iran by teachers demanding salary hikes as well as ethnic groups decrying government abuse and calling for greater rights. With the exception of the teachers, most of the protests erupted spontaneously sparked by incidents as well as pent-up anger and …
New data show that years of efforts are paying off in fighting FGM
By Ignacio Artaza I was recently in Aswan to meet with the local government, partner NGOs, and people working together to fight against female genital mutilation (FGM), a widespread practice in Egypt that predates both Christianity and Islam and was criminalised by Egyptian law in 2008. What a refreshing experience! The commitment and dedication I …
The case against manifest destiny
By Dr Cesar Chelala The disastrous consequences of the recent aggressions against Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Ukraine, to name just a few, show the urgent need to revive the principle of non-intervention into another state. This principle of international law includes, but is not limited to, the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or …
A different perspective on German-Egyptian relations
By Franziska Brantner and Omid Nouripour When Egyptian President [Abdel Fattah] Al-Sisi arrives in Berlin today, the German government will have given up an important principle in its dealings with post-revolutionary Egypt: Chancellor Merkel had repeatedly conditioned her invitation to the Egyptian president on the completion of parliamentary elections. She scrapped this condition after the …
Merkel’s realpolitik and Egypt’s lost revolutions
By Mohamed Selim “Germany’s government believes that Egypt ought to maintain the basic values of human rights for all its citizens, engage in a dialogue with all the opposing political factions and respect the religious freedoms of all Egyptians.” Those were the words of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in her 30 January 2013 presser with …
The need to reform Islam
By Moha Ennaji With the escalation of violence in the Middle East and North Africa, and in the wake of the deplorable terrorism in Paris, Muslims all over the world reacted almost unanimously to condemn the odious attacks, describing them as opposing the teachings of Islam. The heinous jihadists’ attacks are reminiscent of the history of the Catholic …
In Egypt: Human rights lawyer Azza Soliman persecuted for witnessing a crime
By Semanur Karaman and Sara Katrine Brandt This has to stop. Ever since the regime change on 3 July 2013, the international community has been watching the preposterous persecution of active citizens, merely for expressing dissent or calling for political reform in the country. The level of absurdity in criminalising voices of dissent reached a …
Notes from America: General Al-Sisi brought out the worst of Egyptians
By Ahmed Tharwat French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) said: “In democracy we get the government we deserve.” He was, of course, talking about true representative democracy that produces leaders the people want and choose. The assumption here, however, is that people know what is good for them and they chose freely. The French philosopher was right …
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 …
El-Nawawy’s dismissal aims to inject BOD with new experiences: Negm
Studies were conducted to lower Internet prices by next week
A visit to Egypt before Tahrir
By Amr Khalifa Speaking of tyrants Nael Shama said: “A typical consequence of such a distorted mind set is the equation between personal criticism and disloyalty.” Though that particular article was penned in the summer of 2008, two and half years before the [25 January] revolution, it is such a penetrating deconstruction that will draw …
A shrewd financial investor, Qatar boasts dismal return on investment in soft power
By James M. Dorsey Widely viewed as a shrewd financial investor, Qatar’s return on investment in soft power designed to position it as a progressive ally of world powers in the hope that they will come to the aid of the wealthy Gulf state in times of emergency is proving to be abysmal. Qatar has …
A jihadi in the making
We used to work together in the same company during the 25 January Revolution, a genius upper-middle class young man in his mid-twenties and I was his manager. We would run into each other in Tahrir Square chanting the same slogans of “bread, freedom and social justice”, and carrying the same banners demanding change. After …
Qatar backtracks on engagement with critics
By James M. Dorsey After four years of engagement with its critics in a so-far failed bid to turn its hosting of the World Cup into a successful soft power tool, Qatar appears to have decided that the region’s tendency to intimidate those who don’t fall into line may be a more effective strategy. In doing so, Qatar …
Smart Development Goals
By Finn Kydland, Bjorn Lomborg, Tom Schelling and Nancy Stokey By September, the world’s 193 governments will meet in New York and agree on a set of ambitious, global targets for 2030. Over the next 15 years, these targets will direct the $2.5tr to be spent on development assistance, as well as countless trillions in …
Proper execution of the new visa-on-arrival system is important for Egyptian tourism
By Thomas Doherty The good news is that tourism to Egypt has shown some growth this year, with an increase of 5.5% in January over the previous year, according to the government’s statistical bureau. This growth means hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign exchange and GDP, with the corresponding growth of jobs and income for …
‘Islamic State’ and the Popular Mobilisation militias’ confrontation in Ramadi
By Khaled Okasha Before dawn last Friday in Al-Anbar in Iraq, “Islamic State” (IS) took over the government complex in Ramadi, the capital of the province. In the meantime, news spread that the security forces retreated from the complex following violent clashes with IS. The government complex includes the province’s office, Al-Anbar’s police department, the …
Haber’s messages prior to Al-Sisi’s visit to Germany
By Emad El-Sayed “Al-Sisi’s visit to Germany will not be an easy one.” This was my impression after meeting with a journalist delegation and the German ambassador in Cairo, Hansjörg Haber. Haber sent direct messages to Al-Sisi regarding the questions for clarification that he will face during his visit to Germany next month. The messages the …
Justice Minister Al-Zind: a perfect representation of the times
“We [judges] are the masters and the rest are the slaves” is indeed the most memorable quote by Egypt’s new Justice Minister Ahmed Al-Zind, head of the Judges’ Club. The rest of this sentence as said by Al-Zind during a phone interview on a TV show was: “Whatever represents an attack on the Judiciary’s prestige, …
Fighting non-communicable diseases could save 5 million lives
By Dr Bjørn Lomborg In rich countries, the biggest causes of death are strokes, heart attacks and cancer, accounting for more than two-thirds of all deaths. But for the poorer world, people often assume that infectious diseases like diarrhoea, tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria, measles and tetanus are the biggest killers. That is no longer true. While …
Investment and finance ministers should switch positions
By Naguib Sawiris Many people, including traders, believe that the stock market is a place for venture and quick profit, not knowing that its real goal is to present investments for investment funds and individuals, both locally and globally in companies’ capitalthrough this mechanism that allows investments by buying and selling shares on desiring to …
Notes from America: Muslims and Christians – At war in life, at peace in death
By Ahmed Tharwat Standing along with a few hundred Muslims at the Garden of Eden Islamic Cemetery located in a remote corner of a Christian cemetery in Burnsville, Minnesota, mourning the death of one of our friends, the reverences and the respect were not just given by Muslims, but also by the staff and workers …
Central Bank of Egypt leans on currency devaluation
By Oxford Business Group A series of moves by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to devalue the pound and limit dollar activity are expected to help shore up foreign reserves and eliminate black-market currency trading. The controlled devaluation of the currency earlier this year from EGP 7.14 to EGP 7.62 to the dollar has …
NBE aims for 10% growth in all bank indicators: Okasha
Deposits portfolio at $11bn for foreign currencies by the end of March
Should citizens stand up for their moral values or for their nations’ policies?
By Mohammed Nosseir Nations do not only evolve through good governance, but also, and more importantly, by abiding with certain moral values advocated by their citizens. Moral values are the hidden qualities that influence the entire society. A lack of awareness of their significance does not undermine their importance, and it should not discourage people …
Why Germany should pay war reparations to Greece
By Dr Cesar Chelala In 1960, the then Federal Republic of Germany paid Greece DM115m on account of compensation for Nazi crimes. Greek governments stated that this was only a fraction of what is due on account of loss of life, damaged infrastructure, and the repayment of a forced loan the Nazis extracted on Greece in 1942. Recent statements by leading …