Robert Fisk: Bankers are the dictators of the West
Source: The Independent By Robert Fisk: A multiple award-winning journalist on the Middle East, based in Beirut. Writing from the very region that produces more clichés per square foot than […]
Robert Fisk: ‘The real fight for democracy in Egypt has yet to begin’
A Cairo newspaper editor on why the elections will not prevent protesters from returning to Tahrir Square Source: The Independent When it comes to economics, you don’t mess with Wael Gamal. Before becoming a managing editor of Shrouq – Sunrise, to you and me – he was economics editor of […]
Arab uprisings reshape map of US influence
By Brian Murphy JORDAN TIMES DUBAI – About 18 months before the Egyptian uprising that would doom Hosni Mubarak, a US diplomatic cable was sent from Cairo. It described Mubarak as the likely president-for-life and said his regime’s ability to intimidate critics and rig elections was as solid as ever. […]
Egypt Christians in two minds over Islamist gains
By Yasmine Saleh, Reuters, Jordan Times CAIRO – An Islamist surge in Egypt has left a large Christian minority divided over whether to flee the country, stay silent or reach out to a political force that seems guaranteed a major role in the country’s future. The pessimists say a revolution […]
Questions abound as Arab Islamists move into spotlight
By Taylor Luck AMMAN – Fresh off surprise electoral victories in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, Islamists face both a golden opportunity and an uncertain political landscape. As Islamists take their turn at governance after decades in the wings, observers and politicians say the movements face several challenges that will dictate […]
Most Jordanians see satellite channels as instigators of Arab revolts – poll
By Khetam Malkawi JORDAN TIMES AMMAN – Two-thirds of Jordanians believe that satellite TV channels had a role in driving recent protests and revolutions in the Arab world, a newly released survey showed. The poll, “How the public evaluates media coverage of the Arab revolutions” surveyed 1,933 participants from across […]
Egypt’s Brotherhood leads on eve of run-off vote: The Militants are Brothers of the Military
(Reuters) – Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has called on its rivals to accept the will of the people after a first-round vote set its party on course to take the most seats in the country’s first freely elected parliament in six decades. Egyptians will return to the polls on Monday for […]
Prince Hassan warns against dangers posed by regional unrest
AMMAN (JT) – HRH Prince Hassan has warned against the dangers that continued unrest might bring to the region, noting that while constructive interaction has started in some corners of the Arab world such as Morocco and Bahrain, the situation is going drastically wrong elsewhere with “band-wagoning either by the […]
World changing, civil society advancing
By ALI BLUWI ARABNEWS Arab citizens are fed up with the West’s ideology as well as double standards Many pundits and analysts ponder the reasons that made the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 the breaking point in the Middle East. This transformative period led to instability, particularly […]
Guns cannot forever be used to rule Arab societies
By Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star, Lebanon The resurgence of protests and clashes with police in Cairo and other Egyptian cities this week is more significant than the mass rallies that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak nine months ago. That’s because this week’s events touch on […]
Egypt as crucible of Middle East tensions
Source: Asiatimes on line The news and images coming out of Egypt are deeply troubling. At least 36 people have died since last Friday, and over 1,250 have reportedly been wounded in clashes around Tahrir Square in Cairo (and in several other cities). On Monday, the Egyptian government resigned and […]
Truce halts fighting in Tahrir Square
By AGENCIES CAIRO: Clashes between Egyptian riot police and protesters demanding that Egypt’s ruling military council step down stopped overnight for the first time in days on Thursday. The two sides are observing a truce after deadly street battles in which at least 40 people have died. The truce came […]
Robert Fisk: Egyptian crisis gives Syria time to talk about democracy
This is great news for President Assad Egypt is the best thing to happen to Syria for a long time. Just when Western leaders – and Qatar – were hounding President Bashar al-Assad for his brutal suppression of opposition demonstrations, along comes the latest crisis in Egyptian cities where security […]
Fresh violence erupts in Cairo, hours after Cabinet submits resignation
Cairo (CNN) — Fresh violence broke out in and around Cairo’s Tahrir Square early Tuesday, hours after Egypt’s Cabinet submitted its resignation to the nation’s military-led government. Multiple people suffered injuries in intense early morning clashes, according to CNN staff on site. Ambulances could be seen on video rushing in […]
Sheikh of al-Azhar Lays Out Steps to Defend Jerusalem
Palestine News Network Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayb of the Islamic University of al-Azhar in Cairo, one of the foremost authorities of Islamic jurisprudence in the world, laid out on a Wednesday a set of steps to “defend the holy city of Jerusalem.” A delegation from the Palestinian group the Popular Campaign […]
Welcome change in Arab League’s attitude
By GWYNNE DYER ARABNEWS For most of its 66-year history, the Arab League was a powerless organization, dominated by regimes that made sure it never criticized their lies and crimes. But suddenly, this year, it woke up and changed sides. Last March the Arab League suspended Libya’s membership because of […]
The Arab Awakening rewrites sovereignty
By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star, Lebanon Doha, Qatar, where I am early this week, does not seem to be the new political vanguard and locomotive of the Arab world of which many international press reports speak. This view of the emirate comes on the heels of the prominent […]
Mubarak party members allowed to run in Egypt vote
CAIRO: A top Egyptian court on Monday overturned a decision barring members of President Hosni Mubarak’s former party from standing in a parliamentary election that starts later this month. A lower Egyptian court in the Delta city of Mansoura ruled Friday to ban members of former National Democratic Party (NDP) […]
American perplexity on Mideast trends
By Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star, Lebanon After an extended stay in the United States that allowed me to speak with Middle East specialists and interested citizens in many cities, I sense a new theme that broadly defines American attitudes to developments in the Middle East: perplexity. Of course, […]
Court in Egypt Bars Ousted Officials From Polls .
CAIRO—An Egyptian provincial court barred former members of ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s party from running for parliament, circumventing the country’s reluctant military leadership. The ruling marks the latest sign that the Egyptian public is taking matters into its own hands when it comes to boxing out the former regime. The […]