Egypt’s transitional military regime threw down a direct challenge to the Obama Administration on Monday when government prosecutors announced that 43 people, including 19 Americans, will stand trial for allegedly interfering in Egypt’s internal politics. Egyptian officials claim that they illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, while the… Read more
In this week's Heritage in Focus podcast, James Phillips discusses the aftermath of the Arab Spring and escalating tensions around Israel. David Weinberger hosts. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to more Heritage… Read more
It was an era of dramatic change for the Middle East. The pos/world/ War I collapse of the Ottoman Empire produced five new states -- Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Iraq and Palestine -- but little peace. Violence erupted in Syria. Arabs attacked Jews in Palestine. Iraq broke… Read more
The “Arab Spring” has targeted several regimes in the Middle East: Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has stepped down, leaving the future of the country uncertain; Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh cling to power; Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi has vowed to fight to the death despite the United States and… Read more
With all of the upheaval in the Middle East, the question naturally arises: What lessons are the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and especially the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), likely to have learned from all of this upheaval? Particularly, are the Chinese likely to interpret it as underscoring the need… Read more
Turmoil is spreading across the Middle East, and the consequences of these dramatic changes will be far-reaching. The United States has considerable interests in the region, but the U.S. government needs to both exercise leadership now and develop a long-term plan for protecting the nation’s interests and supporting the cause… Read more
James Phillips discusses the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. … Read more
It would be easier to forgive the Obama administration’s lackluster handling of the political crisis in Egypt over the last couple weeks if things were going our way elsewhere in the Middle East. Unfortunately, that’s not even close to happening. … Read more
THE revolution in Egypt presents policy through a looking glass: what you see depends on who you are. If you want stability, you see a failed state. If you value freedom, you see it in the streets. If you fear autocrats, you see the 30 years of emergency rule. If… Read more
It would be easier to forgive the Obama administration's lackluster handling of the political crisis in Egypt over the last couple of… Read more
Abstract: The Egyptian government has played a major role in creating and maintaining a religiously intolerant environment in Egypt that is hostile to non-Muslims and any Muslims who deviate from government-endorsed religious norms and traditions. This intolerant environment… Read more
Although Egypt’s widely supported protest movement was reportedly instigated by secular opposition activists, the largest and most well-organized group within Egypt’s diverse coalition of opposition groups remains the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement determined to transform Egypt into an Islamic state that is hostile to freedom. The Muslim Brotherhood has… Read more
Rocked by escalating protests, on Friday embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would appoint a new government. Mubarak’s eleventh-hour attempt to embrace reform is unlikely to appease the growing opposition, which includes a broad spectrum of diverse political groups. Egypt, an important American ally, is likely to plunge into… Read more
As millions march in the streets of Cairo, it is far too soon to tell whether the upheaval will deliver the economic and political freedoms that the people demand. History is littered with radical transformations that have taken societies in radically different directions. The French Revolution,… Read more
While all eyes are on the political violence in Egypt, the Obama Administration has labored in crisis mode, struggling to stay ahead of the rapidly moving events. Washington’s problem is that publicly the White House appears to be floundering, focusing myopically on events on Tahrir Square rather than exercising real… Read more
(Archived document, may contain errors) t 54 6 November 10, 1986 OPTIONS FOR THE U.S AS EGYPT'S TIME OF RECKONING NEARS INTRODUCTION America's foremost friend in the Arab world is in increasing difficulty threatens to shatter that nation's fragile social peace and alter its political ori entation For too many years Cairo has… Read more
Last year, Egyptians overthrew the Mubarak regime in the name of freedom and democracy. Yet, the transitional...… Read more
Thousands are dead in Syria, with more blood spilled each day. Iran is within arm's reach of a nuclear weapon,...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_90516" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Americans are held as protests continue in Cairo,...… Read more
Egyptian Islamists are poised to emerge as the big winners in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, a complex electoral...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_84589" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="A protester carries another affected by tear gas...… Read more
Garry Kasparov mastered the game of chess to become a world-famous champion. These days he’s facing a much tougher...… Read more
The promises of the “Arab Spring” wilted in many Arab countries during the long, hot summer, and now these nations face...… Read more
Nine months ago, Egyptians were protesting in Tahrir Square, calling for former president Hosni Mubarak to step down...… Read more
Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, the direction of the Middle Eastern revolutions this year has been a concern....… Read more
[caption id="attachment_75718" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="The sons of Pascal Avrahami, an officer from an...… Read more
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs