North Africa

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.

Questions to my Fellow Egyptians and Remarks to Human Rights Defenders

By Amr Hamzawy

Did you take part in June 30, 2013 as a form of peaceful pressure to achieve early presidential elections within a democratic process? Or to empower the military establishment and the security apparatus to take power and deviate from the democratic transition?

Another Assault on Civil Society in Egypt

By Elly Page

Amidst the raft of new legislation proposed and passed in the first weeks of Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s Presidency, a new and restrictive draft law to govern non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is once again on the table. The draft law, submitted by the Ministry of Social Solidarity in late June 2014, introduces a number of legal constraints […]