Two years after their historic uprising, many Egyptians, from intellectuals to the working class, are reflecting on what has been gained since the heady days on Tahrir Square and what still needs to be done. VOA’s Elizabeth Arrott reports from More »
If you live in Egypt, there are many reasons to feel politically, socially and economically pessimistic. Political wrangling and polarization keeps the country on the edge of civil unrest. Unemployment and poverty grow amid a stagnant economy, insufficient investment and a fragile tourism industry in shambles in the post-revolutionary scare. However, as Egyptians celebrate More »
The past week marked the second anniversary of the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, an event that in many ways turned unrest in Tunisia from a purely national affair to what the media dubbed the Arab Spring. That Arab Spring was seen as a broad rising of the Arab masses against aging More »
The Middle East in 2012 was surprising, exhilarating, depressing, and endlessly fascinating. Will it be the same in 2013? Odds are, yes, but there is really no way of providing an accurate forecast. If we’ve learned anything in the last few years, let’s try not to build scenarios – a favorite Washington, D.C., exercise. More »
On Thursday, January 10, a court in Cairo is to resume its case against foreign-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt. The case can be traced back to events just over a year ago when Egypt witnessed an unprecedented assault on its civil society. In December 2011, Egyptian authorities raided the offices of 11 human rights and More »
As citizens across the Arab world call for better living conditions and greater personal freedoms, many countries have witnessed protests and revolutions. The year 2012 offered a clear example of how political transformations have impacted regional economies. Five Arab countries – Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon – are experiencing transitions. However, their current economic More »
A satirist who has made fun of the country’s leader is investigated by prosecutors because he “undermined the leader’s standing.” An independent newspaper is investigated by prosecutors because it published “false news.” Cuba? Chavez’s Venezuela? Putin’s Russia? No, Mohamed Morsi’s Egypt. Here is the story from Al Jazeera: An Egyptian satirist who has made fun of More »
Activists in Egypt have created a makeshift museum to chronicle the last two years of uprisings and political protest. VOA’s Al Pessin visited a branch of the museum that has been set up across the street from the presidential palace in Cairo, where he spoke to one of the museums founders. The video was More »
In their first attempt toward establishing a democracy, Egyptians apparently misunderstood the real meaning of the concept, and how its mechanism functions. Democracy is not only about placing ballots in transparent boxes to set up a government. Democracy is a philosophy of ruling and governing a country through a given mechanism that entails many More »
The recent confrontation in Egypt between Islamist and secular parties has caused the most dangerous crisis yet in that country’s unhappy political transition. The standoff is the unavoidable consequence of a struggle for power between two political forces that have no incentive to compete in the same political arena on the basis of accepted More »
Nearly two years after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, here we are once again with protesters back in the Egyptian streets, facing army tanks and tear gas, and this time with human rights defenders openly expressing concerns about the possibility of civil war. There’s only one way out of this: Egypt has to build More »
- The goals of the independent Egyptian military are…? - What is Syria’s chemical weapons inventory? - Israel’s latest warning on Iran - A surprise U.S. official visit to Kuwait - A synagogue lures young adults with Happy More »
- The Egyptian military gets more authority in the name of security - The opposition rejects Morsi’s planned referendum - The evolving Egyptian-Israeli relationship - Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood raises its political profile - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is still embroiled in the Libya More »
- Egyptian protesters are “infuriated” by their president’s remarks - Is U.S. policy toward Egypt misunderstood? - Some intelligence reports say that Syria is considering using chemical weapons - The U.S. and Russia to continue talks on More »
The attempt by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to rush through the new constitution while overriding the judiciary has sparked off violent confrontations between his supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood and non-Islamist activists, leading to at least five deaths in clashes outside the presidential palace on December 5. Morsi has indicated that he intends to press ahead with More »
Tensions remain high in Egypt ahead of a December 15 referendum on a highly-contested draft constitution, authored by an Islamist-dominated assembly. Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed in Cairo this week, throwing rocks and firebombs. Meanwhile, three key presidential advisers resigned in protest of sweeping powers the new president has claimed More »
- Confrontation takes a break in Egypt - What is so controversial in the proposed Egyptian constitution? - Major challenges in securing Syria’s chemical weapons - A U.N. doctrine that could justify international intervention in More »
لن يسمح الشعب المصري لفرعون جديد أن يحكم مصر يجب أن يوفر الدستور الجديد العدالة الاجتماعية وحقوق المواطنة تطبيق الشريعة يعني الارتقاء بمستوى معيشة المصريين وليس تطبيق الأحكام لا مكان لامتيازات جديدة للقوات المسلحة في دستور مصر More »
- A look at the causes behind the unrest in Egypt - Three NATO nations to deploy anti-missile batteries in Turkey - U.S. warns Syrian leaders they will be held accountable if they use chemical weapons - What chemical weapons Syria might have and the damage they could More »
Opponents and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed near the presidential palace in Cairo, Wednesday. More »
