MENASource

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 […]

Top News: Egypt’s Military Redeploys Across Country Days Ahead of Mass Anti-Morsi Protests

Egypt’s military on Wednesday brought in reinforcements of troops and armor to bases near Egyptian cities ahead of June 30 protests planned by the opposition to force the Islamist president out, security officials said.  

Egypt’s Sisi Threads the Needle

Egypt’s army has gone to great lengths to distance itself from the political arena since President Mohamed Morsi wrested power from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) almost a year ago. Eighteen months of SCAF-rule left the army’s reputation tarnished with accusations of human rights abuses on the part of the military itself, […]

An ICC Intervention for Syria?

By J. Trevor Ulbrick and Kip Hale

 Syria’s relentless civil war has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. The White House recently declared that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons multiple times against rebel forces, a war crime in and of itself. Militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad have stepped up massacres of civilians and prisoners of war perceived as allied […]