The Irony Of Tahrir Square
The main difference between 2011 and 2013: In 2011, there was hope that the standoff would end in a way that allows Egyptian politics to become normal. In 2013, that seems less likely. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
Category: Middle East
Morsi Toppled; Egypt’s Uncertain Political Future
Egypt’s armed forces overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, sparking wild rejoicing in the streets at the prospect of new elections as a range of political leaders backed a new political transition. Read Here – Reuters
Egypt’s Morsi And His Blunders
Mohammed Morsi, a member the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, was sworn in as Egypt’s president on June 30, 2012. One year later, an unprecedented number of Egyptians have taken to the streets across the country to demand the resignation of the first democratically elected president Egypt has ever known. Morsi’s […]
The Ghost Within
Amid the Arab Spring unrest seen among many of its neighbors, the United Arab Emirates has painted itself as a bastion of stability and progress. But the outcome of a trial this week will mark the culmination of the wealthy Gulf state’s little-publicized crackdown on domestic dissent, which critics say has been marked by torture and […]
The Scary Virus
When the Black Death exploded in Arabia in the 14th century, killing an estimated third of the population, it spread across the Islamic world via infected religious pilgrims. Today, the Middle East is threatened with a new plague, one eponymously if not ominously named the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV, or MERS for short). Read Here […]
Who Will Save Egypt?
Underneath all the anger in Egypt lies a basic fact: The country’s economy is in deep trouble. Normally a country in such a bad way would go to the IMF for support. Instead, it has tried to play the fund and Gulf donors off one another to stay afloat. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
Is Egypt Preparing For A Second Revolution?
Millions of Egyptians flooded into the streets on the first anniversary of President Mohamed Mursi‘s inauguration to demand that he resign in the biggest challenge so far to rule by his Muslim Brotherhood. Read Here – Reuters
Gulf States And Peace Broking
The recent rush of regional political activity is very different from Gulf states’ more established soft power initiatives. writes Francis Matthews Read Here – Gulf News
Erdogan And His Chances To Rebuild Trust With The Turks
As events in Turkey affirm, repression tactics such as threats, arrests, the deployment of riot police, use of gas bombs, rubber bullets and water cannons are combative tactics that escalate conflict rather than subdue protesters. This escalation is marked by an increase in the number of groups and individuals pulled into the conflict and the […]
U.S. Umbrella Helps Qatar’s Foreign Policy Adventurism
What explains Qatar‘s foreign policy adventurism? For one, the U.S. security guarantee gives it room to play in the region. In addition, some policies — particularly those that facilitate discussions between the United States and its enemies (Hamas, the Taliban) — are aimed at making Qatar uniquely important to Washington. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
looking beyond borders 