In The News

On the Selling of the Egyptian Coup

Ken Silverstein August 1, 2013
More than 250 people have been killed since the Egyptian military deposed President Mohamed Morsi, democratically elected and in power for just a year. “In Egypt, only two forces genuinely possess the ability to rule at the moment: the army, by virtue of the bayonet; or the Muslim Brotherhood, by virtue of the ballot,” argues Ken Silverstein for Harper’s. Both Morsi’s opponents and supporters...

Why Egypt Matters

Sallama Shaker July 25, 2013
Democracy does not stop with elections, argues Sallama Shaker, a former Egyptian ambassador and former assistant minister of foreign affairs, who is now a visiting professor at Yale University. Transition of power in Egypt, with the military ousting the democratically elected president and promising elections soon, followed massive protests. Egyptians of all ages, placing their trust in the...

The Arab Spring: Has It Failed?

July 16, 2013
A quest for democracy has been underway in North Africa and the Middle East since 2010. Supporters of democracy for the region may assume that the Arab Spring movement is doomed, with a military coup that deposed Egypt’s elected president and civil war raging in Syria, suggests an essay in The Economist. Critics may blame Islam, the predominant religion, and suggest that modern authoritarianism...

Algeria’s Shadow Hangs Over Egypt’s Revolution

Roula Khalaf July 11, 2013
Algerian Islamists advise supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to resist militarization in avenging a military coup, or that could lead to civil war and foreign jihadists hijacking Islamist agendas, advise Algerian Islamists. “This was sound counsel from a North African state that suffered more than 10 years of civil war after a 1991 Islamist electoral victory was abruptly cancelled by...

In Africa, Obama Hot on Xi’s Trail

Zachary Keck July 9, 2013
As US President Barack Obama embarked on his first trip to Africa as president, the specter of China loomed large. The trip, which took the president to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, was officially described as reinforcing “the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa.” However, the struggle for influence between the US and...

Mursi Role at Syria Rally Seen as Tipping Point for Egypt Army

Yasmine Saleh, Tom Perry July 3, 2013
Egypt’s army has ousted Mohamed Mursi. Concern intensified in mid-June when the president attended a rally that called for “holy war” in Syria and was said to have called for foreign intervention. The army responded by suggesting its duty was to guard Egypt’s borders. The powerful, largely secular army has long mistrusted the Muslim Brotherhood, which supported Mursi as president and claimed it...

Brazil “to Write Off' African Debt

June 13, 2013
Amid expansion of economic ties with Africa, Brazil will restructure almost $900 million worth of debt with 12 African countries: oil- and gas-rich Congo-Brazzaville, Tanzania and Zambia as well as Ivory Coast, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Sudan. The South American giant has also opened 19 new embassies in Africa in the...