All hail the great Egyptian judiciary that recently released prominent businessman Hossam Aboul Fotouh after he completed a five-year prison term, plus an extra eight months thrown in for good measure just to prove the diligence of our venerable judiciary and related institutions. Five years and eight months is indeed a very long time in …
CHICAGO: On Wednesday, October 1, Muslims the world over marked the end of the month of Ramadan with the Eid Al Fitr festival. On this day, Muslims celebrate with their friends and families the completion of a month of intense worship and spiritual reflection. It is always a special occasion for me and my family: …
NEW YORK: It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the United States financial system – indeed, global finance – is in a mess. And now, with the US House of Representatives having rejected the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion bailout plan, it is also obvious that there is no consensus on how to …
Ramadan 2008 will be remembered for a long time. This year the holy month kicked off with the arrest of one of the richest men in the country in connection with Egypt’s murder mystery of the century; a week later a disastrous rockslide crushed 35 homes in a shantytown leaving behind a confirmed death toll …
The UN convened this week in New York to discuss its Millennium Development Goals and the aim of “ending poverty by 2015. Delegates and a rock star boasted of billions of dollars transferred to African governments, while failed schemes prompted activists to call for even more money. Donors re-branded the failed Roll Back Malaria scheme …
LONDON: Senator John McCain is a genuine American hero. He was a brave airman, with a fine war record. Unlike the so-called “chicken hawks who avoided service in the Vietnam War themselves but could barely wait to send young Americans into Iraq to fight, McCain’s life is not at odds with his politics. In the …
BALTIMORE: As each new day brings word of another Wall Street bailout even more colossal than the last, one question presents itself with ever-increasing force: why does America’s economy perform so badly under Republican presidents? The facts are hard to dispute; indeed, the historical record is now so stark that diehard Republicans are probably starting …
We cannot attribute the negative portrayal of Egypt, whether locally or internationally, to lack of understanding. It is illogical to assume that most of the Egyptians, and those who write about Egypt in Western media, are mistaken while a handful of regime supporters are right. Regime supporters argue that this gloomy image is false, not …
ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson has made it clear that one of the United States’ primary goals in Pakistan is the empowerment of women. Inaugurating a Susan B. Anthony reading room at Lahore’s Fatima Jinnah Women’s University on Sept.17, she cited both Anthony and Jinnah as role models for Pakistani women. Unfortunately, …
BEIRUT: Almost undetected, Russia is regaining much of the influence that it lost in the Middle East after the Soviet Union collapsed. Ever since Russia invaded Georgia in August, Arab satellite television and Web sites have been rife with talk about the region’s role in an emerging “new Cold War. Is the Arab world’s Cold …
NEW YORK: The selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate hit the United States like an electric storm. To her legions of lipstick-waving fans on the right, Palin is a down-to-earth, God-fearing “hockey mom whose moose hunting, evangelical faith, and even chaotic family life are all evidence that she is a real, typical …
SAN FRANCISCO: Last fall, Bill and Melinda Gates sent shock waves through the global health community when they announced the audacious goal of eradicating human malaria from the face of the planet. Nothing less, they urged, would be enough. Heated debate immediately erupted, with some experienced practitioners questioning the feasibility of such a goal. These …
JERUSALEM: The process for replacing Israel s prime minister began in earnest last week when the ruling Kadima Party held primary elections. As one would expect, candidates have been discussing the familiar litany of problems facing the country: the threat from Iran, the challenge from Hamas, the dangers posed by Hezbollah, and the conflict with …
Over the past two weeks there has been an unprecedented flurry of religious edicts, sanctioning killing. It seems that Arab societies are at the threshold of a dark stage of religious thinking in the Arab world. Sheikh Saleh Al-Luhaidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council in Saudi Arabia, has sanctioned the killing of the owners …
NEW YORK: US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s $700 billion rescue package has run into difficulty on Capitol Hill. Rightly so: it is ill-conceived. Congress would be abdicating its responsibility if it gave the Treasury secretary a blank cheque. The bill submitted to Congress even had language in it that would exempt the secretary’s decisions from …
Shahbour Zahdi from Iran sent me an email saying that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, during a press conference this week, was asked about the recent proposal of an Israeli cabinet minister to abduct him and prosecute him in retaliation for his statements that, according to the Israeli minister, resemble those made by Hitler. In answer …
The strange abduction case that’s kept journalists busy since Monday is yet another example of how, in a reflection of the Egyptian government’s attitude, even criminals take the Egyptian citizen for granted. It didn’t come as much of a surprise that in the first three days after the incident was publicized, the Egyptian government wasn’t …
PARIS: “Let’s engage Russia if we can, but contain it if we must. These two alternatives already defined Western strategy toward Russia in the mid-1990s. Since then, Russia may have changed dramatically, but not our questions about it. What do you do when your big neighbor widens the gap that exists between its culture, which …
LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium: With his characteristic clear-sightedness and, knowledge of history, General Charles de Gaulle used to say that one should not insult the future. He also believed that simple ideas were needed to address the complicated Middle East. In the immediate future, two important events will have an influence on the situation in the Middle …
NEWARK, Delaware: It is seven years since that terrible day of Sept.11, 2001 when terrorists killed 3,000 Americans, triggering a massive global response by the United States. As President Bush’s term comes to an end, it is time to assess the prudence of his policies. According to the State Department and the National Counterterrorism Center, …
When my father decided to buy a farm in the suburbs of Cairo and live there a few years ago, his justification was that if you decide to live in Egypt, you should be ready to build your own state. I must admit it took me years to understand what he meant. To secure a …
LIVERPOOL, England: “I love Jordan, whispered a young refugee girl. “I love Jordan even though I’m Palestinian. Listening to Ibtisaam, a proud Palestinian who lives in the expansive refugee camps of Jordan, I could see that this was a hard confession to make. In light of her Palestinian pride it was hard to justify her …
NEW YORK: In recent years, the United States has been more a source of global instability than a source of global problem-solving. Examples include the war in Iraq, launched by the US on false premises, obstructionism on efforts to curb climate change, meager development assistance, and the violation of international treaties such as the Geneva …
Why do they hate us? is not only George W. Bush’s favorite question. Apparently, many Egyptian businessmen ask the same question, lamenting the lack of popular appreciation of the “constructive role they play in the Egyptian economy and the “valuable services they provide to their fellow countrymen. Their bewilderment invites equal bewilderment because the conduct …
HAIFA: Famously irreverent, Israelis tend to call their leaders by their first name or childhood nickname. But don’t be fooled: Tzipi (Tzipora) Livni is nobody’s close friend. Her dry style, personal remoteness, and forced smiles make her an atypical Israeli. Perhaps the country needs exactly this just now: an atypical Israeli at the steering wheel. …
LONDON: The looming bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, and the forced sale of Merrill Lynch, two of the greatest names in finance, mark the end of an era. But what will come next? Cycles of economic fashion are as old as business cycles, and are usually caused by deep business disturbances. “Liberal cycles are followed by …
CAIRO: O?ver the past month, there’s been an ongoing debate over what constitutes the “pure Egyptian identity. It’s a strange question at a time when Egyptians are suffering from unprecedented worsening living conditions and have nothing else to think about except the bleak present and an uncertain future. Some Copts consider themselves the true offspring …
WASHINGTON, DC: The inauguration earlier this month of Asif Ali Zardari as Pakistan’s president offers the possibility – but hardly the certainty – of a new beginning for Pakistan, and a new era in US-Pakistan relations. Zardari’s election gives Pakistanis an opportunity to move beyond the passions and antipathies of the Pervez Musharraf years. It …
JERUSALEM: The Arab ministers are calling for it, Palestinian intellectuals and political pundits are espousing it, and the people are hoping for it. Hamas and Fatah need to patch up their relationship and move forward. During the 130th session of the Arab ministerial summit, Arab ministers all agreed that the rift between Hamas and Fatah …
NEW YORK: We all recognize today’s perils. A global financial crisis. A global energy crisis. A global food crisis. Trade talks have collapsed, yet again. There are new outbreaks of war and violence. Climate change ever more clearly threatens our planet. We say that global problems demand global solutions. And yet, do we act? In …
