North Africa

Three Steps to Pull Libya Out of its Crisis

By Karim Mezran

If recent days’ events are any indication, Libya is rapidly descending into chaos. The latest clashes began with the attack on the main international airport in Tripoli, with rival militias pitted against one another in an armed struggle, fomenting anarchy and bringing the country to the brink of civil war.

International Statements about Egypt’s Efforts to Secure a Gaza Ceasefire

By EgyptSource

As the deadliest conflict seen in Gaza in the past five years rages on, Egypt has made attempts to resume its role as mediator between the Israeli and Palestinian authorities. A ceasefire proposal was announced on July 14, which was consequently accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas. While the Egyptian initiative has received international […]

The Struggle for Public Space in Egypt

While many hoped that the public space in Egypt for non-state sectors, such as political parties, the media, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), would widen following Egypt’s 2011 revolution, such an expansion has yet to materialize. Rather, over three years and two presidents later, Egypt’s political climate remains stifled. On July 22, 2014, The Atlantic Council’s […]

Salvaging What Remains of the Nation State: The Missing Example of Egyptian Democracy

By Amr Hamzawy

Contrary to regimes in other Arab states in the Levant and the Gulf, the Egyptian government has never undermined Arab identity by spreading ideas of a dichotomy between Sunni and Shiite, of a conflict between Sunni-dominated areas and those living in the Shiite crescent, or of a conflict between Arabs and non-Arabs living in the […]

The Week in Egypt [July 21, 2014]

By Elissa Miller

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

Egypt and the Gaza Ceasefires

By Joel Gulhane

On Thursday night, the Israel Defense Forces launched a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip following the Israeli Security Cabinet’s approval. The decision came “after Israel agreed to the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, whereas Hamas rejected the ceasefire proposal and continued firing rockets at Israeli cities,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Egypt’s Squeeze on Civil Society

Authoritarian governments have always found human rights groups, labor associations, and political organizations a thorn in the side of effective domination over the public sphere. In Egypt, the situation is no different.

Egypt’s Half-Hearted Gaza Initiative

By Khaled Dawoud

The most significant development in Egypt’s reaction to the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas, that left a heavy death toll among Palestinian civilians and forced millions of Israelis to hide in bunkers for a week so far, was how slow and neutral Cairo’s role appears to be.