North Africa

Elections in Libya Will Signal Progress on Constitution

By Duncan Pickard

The General National Congress (GNC) of Libya made significant progress in the country’s slogging transition to democracy in July when it passed an electoral law to govern the elections of a sixty-member constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Military Articles

Continuing EgyptSource’s constitutional coverage, in this installment we look at the articles relating to the military, namely the debate over military trials in the constitution, the appointment of the minister of defense, and the armed forces’ budget. Keep up with all of EgyptSource’s constitution roundups  here.

Tamarod: A Mild Rebellion

By Rana Muhammad Taha

In late April, a group of unknown young Egyptian men announced the formation of a campaign against former Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi and his regime. Today, that same group, Tamarod, or ‘Rebel,’ is one of the military-backed interim regime’s most ardent supporters.

Not My Brotherhood’s Keeper: The Fallacy of Crushing Egypt’s Chief Islamist Group

By Amro Ali

By the time philosopher Hannah Arendt penned the words in her 1970 work On Violence: “The means used to achieve political goals are more often than not of greater relevance to the future world than the intended goals,” a generation of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood transitioning into the Anwar Sadat era were reeling from the “means” […]

Decentralization in Libya

By Duncan Pickard

Questions of decentralization pervade policy debates in Libya. After decades of harsh and highly centralized rule under Muammar Qaddafi, policymakers, scholars, and civil-society activists are contemplating how to unpack state authority to empower cities and regional development.

Islamic Law in the Libyan Constitution: Beyond “A” and “The”

By Duncan Pickard

The debate about the role of Islam in new constitutions in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt has begun with the formulation of the role of Islamic sharia in lawmaking: should Islamic sharia be the source, the principal source, or a source among sources of legislation?

This Week in Egypt – September 29, 2013

By Amira Mikhail

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

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Identity Articles and the Nour Party

Continuing EgyptSource’s constitutional coverage, in this installment we look at the the projected timeline, statements made about the referendum, debates over whether or not to draft a new constitution or amend the existing one, debates over the identity articles in the constitution, and the Salafi Nour Party’s involvement in the committee. 

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Committees and Bylaws

At the beginning of September, the fifty-member committee tasked with amending the 2012 constitution was announced with a presidential decree. The committee began its work on September 8, tackling the constitution that had been amended by a ten-person legal committee. The ten person committee, formed of six judges and four constitutional law professors, completed their […]