MENASource

Syria: Is Geneva II the Key?

By Frederic C. Hof

When Secretary of State John Kerry pressed his Russian counterpart in early May 2013 to help him convene a conference to implement the Action Group on Syria Geneva agreement of June 2012, his motive was honorable and straightforward: cut to the chase and get Syrian opposition and Assad regime representatives into a room to negotiate […]

Top News: Congressional Committee Calls for Pardon of NGO Trial Defendants

By Egypt Source

In Washington DC, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa held a hearing on the verdict convicting forty-three NGO workers of operating illegally. Chairperson of the Subcommittee, Ileana Ros-Leitnen, called on Congress to send a strong message to President Morsi to pardon all the defendants and allow the accused NGO to continue to […]

International Response to Egypt’s NGO Trial

By Amira Mikhail

On June 4, Egypt’s courts concluded the year and a half long sentence of 43 workers in 4 non-governmental organizations based in Cairo. Sentences varied from 1 to 5 years in prison as well as the confiscation of the NGO’s assets. The defendants were accused of illegally receiving foreign funds for their respective work in […]

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

By Karim Mezran

“Libya is finished.” “It is a failed state.” “There is not much more we can do.” These are just some of the comments I heard in the course of my visit last week to Tripoli and its surrounding environs. There is indeed widespread pessimism about the future of a viable Libyan state. It seems few […]

Top News: Egypt govt agrees on draft law for police; Shura passes amended political participation bill

By Egypt Source

The Egyptian government, headed by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, agreed in principle on Wednesday on a draft law, proposed by the interior ministry, whose aim is to confront crimes which threaten national security, police officers as well as public and private property. GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Egypt govt agrees on draft law for police; Shura passes […]

Top News: Benghazi Tragedy Sidelines Congress Presidency Vote

The much anticipated vote for a new president of the General National Congress (GNC) to replace Mohamed Magariaf has been postponed to June 16 because of the Benghazi shootings last Saturday, which claimed thirty-one lives and injured dozens more.

Working Group on Egypt Writes to President Obama on the NGO Trial

Following the Cairo Criminal Court’s conviction of forty-three non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, among them sixteen Americans, concerns for civil society groups in Egypt have grown, particularly amidst ongoing discussion of a repressive NGO law drafted by Egypt’s presidency.  Download the PDF

Morsi Government Seeks to Institutionalize Authoritarian Relapse with NGO Law

By Dina Guirguis

In what has been the most serious affront to Egyptian civil society and prospects for democracy since the revolution and even well before then, last week brought the conviction of forty-three NGO workers and the closure of multiple NGO offices by court verdict. While a diplomatically expedient “resolution” may be pursued with the Egyptian government, […]

Top News: Morsi Calls for National Reconciliation; Opposition Rejects Call

By Egypt Source

During a conference of Islamist parties discussing the Nile Dam crisis on Monday, President Mohamed Morsi urged political groups to put their differences behind them and pursue comprehensive national reconciliation to face the myriad challenges currently facing Egypt.

Top News: Egypt Warns All Options Open for Ethiopia Nile Dam

Egypt’s president on Monday hardened his stance against Ethiopia and its construction of a Nile dam, warning that "all options are open" in dealing with the project that threatens to leave Egypt with a dangerous water shortage.