MENASource

Top News: Pro and Anti-Morsi Protests Rally Supporters Throughout the Country

Follow live updates on Ahram Online as thousands of protesters gather for pro- and anti-Morsi rallies across Egypt  GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Egypt Islamists praise Morsi address, opposition decries it as ‘unrealistic’, rejects dialogue President Mohamed Morsi’s speech Wednesday night marking the end of his first year in office met a warm reception by Egyptian Islamist […]

The Economic Collapse of Syria

By Mohsin Khan and Faysal Itani

The violent civil war in Syria that began with the uprising in March 2011 has already imposed tremendous costs on the Syrian population. More than 100,000 people have died and millions have become refugees in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, in addition to the internally displaced in Syria itself.

Morsi’s Economic Scorecard: Not a Good Year

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

As the first anniversary of President Mohammed Morsi’s term approaches on June 30, it is clearly evident that Egypt’s first democratically elected president has so far failed to tackle the core economic issues which fueled the popular uprising in January 2011. President Morsi inherited an economy that was already floundering. Economic growth had fallen to […]

Morsi’s Pre-Tamarod Speech: Threats, Lies, and Manipulation

By Mai El Sadany

In a two hour and forty minute speech of about 3,000 words, rather than focus on initiatives desperately needed in order to repair a divided country, President Mohamed Morsi instead delivered a set of pointed threats and blatant lies that come just days before a protest reflect the rejection of his presidency by over 15 […]

Top News: Adoption of Tunisia’s Constitution Edges Closer

Top News: Morsi addresses people one year after taking power; Egypt opposition criticizes speech

In a televised address lasting more than two and a half hours, President Mohamed Morsi blamed loyalists of fallen dictator Hosni Mubarak for the "paralysis" that has marked his first year in office but also offered an olive branch to opponents that also seemed to address demands from the army. 

Rumors from Tripoli

By Karim Mezran

With the election of Nouri Ali Abu Sahmain on June 25, the Libyan General National Congress (GNC) is now under new leadership; the general public in Libya seems content with these results, as do leaders in major capitals around the world who have been closely monitoring these developments. Abu Sahmain is a member of the […]

The LAF’s House of Cards

By Faysal Itani

Many Lebanese and outside observers view the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as a neutral arbiter and defender of Lebanese of all sects and political affiliations; however, the recent outbreak of fighting in Sidon between the LAF and followers of Salafi sheikh, Ahmad al-Assir, casts doubt on this convenient and widely-accepted narrative. The violence in Sidon […]

In Response to US Ambassador Anne Patterson

By Dina Guirguis

US Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson delivered a speech on June 18 at the headquarters of the Ibn Khaldun Center, a venerated non-governmental organization in Cairo, “to set the record straight” on the US government’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood. Patterson defended US support of Egypt’s government, emphasizing its “elected nature.” While she expressed an […]