MENASource

Top News: Judges Declare Sit-in Protesting Judiciary Law

Young judges and prosecutors will go to their jobs in the morning then participate in a sit-in at the High Court building in the afternoon until the upper house of parliament ceases its attempts to amend the law, Judges’ Club President Ahmed al-Zind announced at a Tuesday press conference. 

The Pitfalls of Military Voting

The laws governing House of Representatives elections and political participation, submitted to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) in April, have once again been met with the court’s disapproval. The court ruling puts an already delayed timeline for parliamentary elections further off track, while contradictory statements emerge from the Shura Council on how next to proceed.

Syria: Is a No-Fly Zone on the Table?

By Frederic C. Hof

As US officials have repeatedly acknowledged, Bashar al-Assad’s military “calculation” ultimately must change to enable a negotiated political transition. One option under consideration is a no-fly zone over parts of Syria. As with any exercise weighing the costs and benefit of a specific course of action in Syria, the discussion of a no-fly zone starts […]

Top News: Sudan, Egypt May Call on Arab League Over Nile Dam

Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt, Kamal Hassan, stated on Tuesday that Egypt and Sudan may call for intervention by the Arab League in response to the diversion of the Blue Nile on Tuesday at the construction site of a new Ethiopian dam project. If the dam is found to threaten Egypt and Sudan’s share of the […]

Lessons Not Learned in Egypt

By Faysal Itani

As Egypt struggles to avoid economic collapse amid political instability and widespread unrest, it presents a critical case study of the lessons learned and ignored from the Arab uprisings. Faced with shrinking foreign reserves, a widening budget deficit, and low growth, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government appears to be wrestling with the urgency and risks of […]

Top News: EU Failure Will Allow UK, France to Arm Syrian Rebels

Britain and France are free to supply weapons to Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad from August, after attempts to renew an EU arms embargo on Syria failed on Monday.

Top News: President Refers NGOs Law to Shura Council

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s presidency referred the final draft of a proposed NGO law to the Shura Council for deliberation, having changed a handful of controversial articles included in previous drafts of the bill. Several members of the president’s advisory team held a Monday press conference to unveil details of the final draft, which they view as better […]

Off the Egyptian Press: The Aftermath of the Sinai Kidnappings

By Andrew Ver Steegh

The abduction of members of Egypt’s army and police in the Sinai last week dominated the news cycle.  While the captives have since been released, Egypt’s media saw an outpouring of writing on the incident, with commentators weighing in on various aspects of the crisis.

Disheartened in Washington

By The Big Pharaoh

Last month, I had my first opportunity as an Egyptian blogger to come face to face with US policymakers and officials in Washington DC. My meetings, arranged by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, opened my eyes to certain realities and changed several of the preconceived perceptions I brought with me from Cairo to […]