This month’s extensive international news coverage of Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy stands in stark contrast to the coverage accorded to the recent death of another extraordinary 20th century leader: Võ Nguyên Giáp, the 102-year-old Vietnamese general who humbled three world powers and a rising fourth. Giáp died in Hanoi on 4 October 2013. While […]
Political – سياسة
Egypt: Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Joker
The scene in Egypt is nothing less than a complicated mess: there are several forces, shifting alliances, political stagnation, mass frustration, a failing economy and conspiracy theories. The country is simply a boiling pot. What is the way out? To find a solution, one must first identify the players and the main problem. The King […]
Egypt’s ‘Rocca the giraffe syndrome’
A giraffe named Rocca died last week in the Giza Zoo. One of the stories about its death is that it banged its head until it died, committing suicide. The current Egyptian political scene suffers from the same syndrome: various players banging their heads against the wall, committing political suicide, and unfortunately killing every chance for […]
يناير ويونيو وخيارات الغد
كنت قد كتبت مجموعة من التغريدات وطلب مني البعض وضعها معاص في تدوينة واحدة وها هي: 1- أياً كان ترتيبة 30 يونيو اتعملت إزاي، حكم الإخوان كان حكم فاشي وكان لازم نخلص منه لأنه مستحيل كان يدي فرصه لحد غيره يحكم، وشفنا بعنينا. 2- بصراحة يوم 30 يونيو نفسه كان فيه أعداد أكتر من يوم […]
Muslim Brothers’ A series of miscalculated steps
Almost three years have passed since Jan. 25, 2011, and the political scene in Egypt has gone through drastic changes. Some of the few constants, however, are the persistent miscalculations by the Muslim Brotherhood and its catastrophic choices that have consistently harmed the revolution and its goals. One strategic miscalculation was their running for the presidency after winning a majority in parliament, putting […]
The Organization: Resolving Not Just Dissolving
No one can deny that what Egypt is going through now is baffling, and muddles for many people a clear analysis of the issues, especially as involvement in the ever accelerating stream of events reduces our capacity for level-headed, far-sighted thinking. Yet it disturbs me greatly to see some people of distinguished prudence and good […]
حل الجماعة
لا أحد يستطيع إنكار أن ما تمر به مصر الآن لابد وأن يربك الكثيرين ويشوش أفكارهم ويخلط الأمور على الكثيرين، خصوصاً وأن الانخراط في الأحداث المتسارعة المتلاحقة يقلل من قدرتنا على التفكير السوي ويغلق أفق بُعد النظر. ولكني مازلت أَزعَج كثيراً لرؤية بعضاً ممن يتميزون بالحصافة وحسن تقدير الأمور تأخذهم سكرة العنف وتعميهم عن حقائق […]