In recent months, Egyptian–American relations have severely deteriorated due to Cairo’s politically motivated prosecution of several U.S.-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in democracy building. The fact that these civil society efforts, which were tolerated in Egypt before the fall of President Hosni Mubarak last year, now are considered criminal activities…
Abstract: Russia is pursuing a Middle Eastern policy that is designed to reduce U.S. and Western influence in the Middle East, even at the risk of Islamist terrorism, which is a growing problem in Russia. It views the recent upheavals in the Middle East…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
James Phillips discusses the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. …
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…
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…
In Egypt we are still not at the end of the beginning. Its future remains in the balance. President Mubarak now has raised expectations, only to dash them. This will greatly raise tensions and could lead to an explosion of violence if the army tries to clear the square. If violence escalates, the…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
[caption id="attachment_96544" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="April 20, 2012 - Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian Islamist...…
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has a long history of deception, promotion of Sharia law, anti-Semitism, and anti-Western...…
A delegation of officials from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood met with White House officials Wednesday, according to a White...…
Three years ago, President Barack Obama set forth to recast American foreign policy in an image of his own design. It...…
Last year, Egyptians overthrew the Mubarak regime in the name of freedom and democracy. Yet, the transitional...…
Thousands are dead in Syria, with more blood spilled each day. Iran is within arm's reach of a nuclear weapon,...…
[caption id="attachment_90516" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Americans are held as protests continue in Cairo,...…
Egyptian Islamists are poised to emerge as the big winners in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, a complex electoral...…
[caption id="attachment_84589" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="A protester carries another affected by tear gas...…
Garry Kasparov mastered the game of chess to become a world-famous champion. These days he’s facing a much tougher...…
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs