North Africa

The Amputation of Egypt’s Islamist Political Arm

By Tarek Radwan

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court ruling to dissolve the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) hammered yet another nail into the Muslim Brotherhood’s coffin. On Saturday, Judge Fareed Tanago delivered the verdict that would end any formal Brotherhood participation in Egypt’s political life, citing the violation of the “principles required for a popular, democratic, political party” and […]

Mr. Moneybags in Egypt

By Jonathan Guyer

Last week, the privately-owned and widely-circulated Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm published three political cartoons about corruption in a single day. It’s not unusual to print so many illustrations in one edition; the paper sometimes publishes a dozen comics in a day. But what can we make of three independent cartoonists devoting their frame to criticizing […]

The Week in Egypt [August 11, 2014]

By Elissa Miller

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

Tunisia’s Political Prospects

By Duncan Pickard

Consensus has characterized Tunisia’s transition to democracy. Ennahda, the self-styled Islamic party, governed in coalition with two secular parties. The National Dialogue, which made several important decisions about the stages of the transition, prompted Ennahda to agree to step down from power—a first for an Islamic party in the region—in favor of a technocratic government.

The Nour Party’s Dilemma

By Khaled Dawoud

An accusation leveled at strict Salafist groups in Egypt, especially among political Islamic parties, has been that they are keen to maintain good relations with any government in power in order to maintain their presence, particularly in the mosques where they preach. This was the case, in particular, under ousted President Hosni Mubarak. While armed […]

Egypt High Elections Committee Secretariat-General Announced

By EgyptSource

The President of the High Elections Committee (HEC) and the head of the Cairo Court of Appeals, Chancellor Ayman Abbas, issued a decision on Tuesday to form a secretariat general, comprised of 28 members representing the judiciary, public prosecutors, and various ministries and stakeholders in the electoral process for Egypt’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

Tunisia Calls For Support to Keep Hope Alive

Tunisia’s President Mohamed Moncef Marzouki made an impassioned appeal for reason and support in his speech at the Atlantic Council on August 5, 2014. Despite being a beacon for the promise of the Arab Spring, Tunisia nonetheless still struggles with extremism within and outside its borders.