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MENASource

Feb 15, 2013

Learning to Stare at the Sun

By Alaa Al Aswany

Some years back the US press uncovered a scandal in which Catholic priests were abusing children at church. The US press fought to document the abuses until the church finally apologized and the accused priests went on trial. The church recently appointed a special investigator, Father Robert Oliver, to look into any sexual abuse within […]

MENASource

Feb 15, 2013

Top News: NSF and Nour Party Agree – Qandil and Cabinet Must Go

By Egypt Source

The Salafist Nour Party met with members of the National Salvation Front (NSF) opposition umbrella group in a closed meeting on Thursday. The NSF and Nour Party agree on the importance of the resignation of Hisham Qandil’s cabinet.

MENASource

Feb 14, 2013

Top News: Cabinet Passes Restrictive Protest Law

By Egypt Source

The Cabinet approved a new draft law to regulate public demonstrations on Wednesday. The new law, yet to be approved by the Shura Council, has been met with criticism, the provisions within the law suggest that it restricts civilians’ right to demonstrate and seeks to justify police crackdowns on protesters.

MENASource

Feb 13, 2013

Egypt’s Mock Authoritarianism

By Zeinab Abul-Magd

Last month, after large-scale protests in the Suez Canal region, President Mohamed Morsi declared a state of emergency, imposing a curfew across three major cities in the area. Army tanks rolled into Suez, Port Said and Ismailia, to enforce Morsi’s decision. Instead, residents of these cities engaged in late night festivities in a willful, and […]

MENASource

Feb 13, 2013

Top News: US concerned over Egypt’s “climate of impunity”

By Egypt Source

The United States expressed concern on Tuesday about growing political polarization in its major ally Egypt and a "climate of impunity" over abuses by police and security forces in the most populous Arab nation.

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

At Last, Public Participation in Constitution-Making in Tunisia

By Duncan Pickard

The deplorable and tragic assassination of Chokri Belaid last week has emboldened the lines of battle in Tunisian politics. Rallies and counter-rallies have fallen along partisan divisions, between the largely secular opponents and Islamist supporters of the Ennahda-led government. Some secularists accuse Ennahda of orchestrating the assassination despite unequivocal condemnations by Ennahda leaders, and some […]

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

The Day After: A Photo Essay

By Roy Gunnels

One day after the Mubarak regime fell on Feburary 12 2011, Tahrir Square was scintillating with excitement and hope, and that ever-present Egyptian humor. The Square was the heart of the revolution, where many had suffered, been maimed or killed, and where many found courage they never knew they had. The invisible layers of past anguish […]

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

Dispatch from Tripoli: Tension in Anticipation of February 17

By Karim Mezran

Libyans are anxiously anticipating what might happen this week, on February 17, the second anniversary of the Libyan uprising; the streets are tense and the government is preparing for the worst. Libyan officials are worried that citizens upset with the poor performance of the government, Qaddafi elements seeking to destabilize the country, and Cyrenaican federalists […]

Libya

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

Top News: Prosecutor-General Investigates ‘Kill Opposition Figures’ Fatwa

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered the arrest of a Muslim cleric, Mahmoud Shaaban who said leaders of the main opposition coalition should be condemned to death under Islamic law for seeking to topple President Mohamed Morsi.

MENASource

Feb 12, 2013

The President’s Decision-Making on Syria

By Frederic C. Hof

Washington was again caught by surprise last week in the wake of reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ex-CIA Director David Petraeus had advised President Barack Obama last July to reverse policy and arm vetted Syrian rebels. The latest shoe dropped when Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint […]

Syria United States and Canada