North Africa

The NDP Building Demolition: Erasing a Memory or Moving On?

By Joel Gulhane

When looters on January 28, 2011 raided the National Democratic Party (NDP) headquarters, a symbol of decades of repression overseen by President and party leader Hosni Mubarak, one man carried out a couch, said Ahmed, a witness to the spectacle.

Running Egypt as an Army Commander

By Khaled Dawoud

Interview with Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed Cairo University professor and prominent researcher Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed has actively worked for many years toward a modern, democratic and just state in Egypt. Under ousted-President Hosni Mubarak, he was a key member of both the Kefaya (or Enough) Movement and the National Association for Change.

Is This the End of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood?

By Gillian Kennedy

In the blistering heat of a Cairo courtroom in May, a resolute looking Mohammed Morsi listened as the judge announced a death sentence for charges of corruption and torture against the ousted president, which allegedly took place during his one year in power in 2012.

The Final Mubarak Trial [+INFOGRAPHIC]

By Khaled Dawoud

The drama of the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak, which first began in August 2011 appears to finally have an end in sight. On June 4, Egypt’s highest Court of Cassation rejected a decision by the Appeals Court to drop the charges against Mubarak on technicality. Instead, it said Mubarak should be retried alone […]

One Year On: Security Under Sisi

By EgyptSource

The security situation in Egypt has shown little signs of improvement since the election of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. While the army continues to conduct vigorous counter terror operations in Sinai, targeting Egypt’s most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the attacks have shown no signs of abating.  

Egypt’s Africa Pivot

In a move which would establish the continent’s largest free trade area, Egypt has signed an agreement with twenty-five other African countries to form a “Cape to Cairo” Free Trade Zone. Integrating the three economic zones of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Southern African Development Community, and the East African Community, […]

Progress and Pitfalls in Tunisia’s Democratic Transition

By Rafik Hariri Center

On June 3, 2015, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable to asses Tunisia’s current political and security situation and the challenges ahead. Nonresident Fellow Dr. Haykel Ben Mahfoudh and Dr. Sarah Feuer of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy shared their insights. Hariri Center’s North Africa expert […]

Free Trade Pact Highlights Egypt’s Pivot Back towards Africa

By J. Peter Pham

On Wednesday, presidents and other leaders representing twenty-six African countries meeting at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh signed an agreement to launch a “Cape to Cairo” free trade zone spanning the length of the continent. The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), as it will formally be known, will embrace three of Africa’s […]

One Year On: Legislation Under Sisi

By EgyptSource

Since his election, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has issued and amended over 100 decrees. In the absence of a seated parliament Sisi enjoys full legislative power and has issued decrees aiming to address the economic, security, and political issues facing Egypt today.