Will Oil Drown the Libyan Revolution?
Michael Ross wrote a pretty interesting piece in the latest Foreign Affairs (subscription required) about the possibility that the prevalence of oil in many Arab countries will dampen the effects of the Arab Spring. The boiled down thesis is that monarchs and dictators who are fortunate enough to run countries blessed with immense oil wealth … Read more
The Egyptian Military’s Broken Promises
Since the Egyptian military helped the people bring down Hosni Mubarak and created the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to act as an interim government, there has been nearly no revolutionary changes, leading many to downgrade Jan25 from a revolution to a military coup. Despite the demands of the Egyptian people, SCAF has done … Read more
How to Determine if the Syrian Uprising is Successful
The editors of the Middle East Research and Information Project have a great article up about the uprisings in the Middle East (and how the uprisings are framed) and, specifically, in Syria. Two seemingly contradictory passages caught my eye that describe a Syrian uprising in pessimistic terms, but also as inevitably successful. Consider passage one: … Read more
The Islamist/Secular Dichotomy in Egypt
In Egypt, they warn, the Muslim Brotherhood will overtake the young secular activists who bravely brought down dictator Hosni Mubarak. In Syria, they have claimed, Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship may be brutal, but it is a lesser evil than a Sunni majority that will oppress Christians, Shiites, and women. Such anxiety plays perfectly into the ruling rationale of the region’s secular sultans, … Read more
Should We Be Concerned for Egypt’s Revolution
In The National Interest Marina Ottaway describes the chaotic nature of the transitional periods in Egypt and Tunisia as a consequence of a lack of an agreed upon transitional plan. The transitional governments in both countries are illegitimate and must make the fundamental shifts necessary to allow elections and the creation of an elected government. … Read more
Can the Salafis Win in Egypt?
A Salafi government in Egypt has been seen as unlikely by many – until, that is, the mass protest last week that brought hundreds of thousands of Islamists to Tahrir Square in a demonstration of strength. My first reaction concerned the separation of the Muslim Brotherhood, which attended the rally, from both the more conservative … Read more
Michael Young: Blame Egyptians for Mubarak’s Crimes
As the former head of Egypt sits in front of a judge, behind bars and on a bed in an Egyptian courtroom, the Egyptian people are finally able to celebrate some concrete results of the revolutionary movement that took down the despot. Of course, Egypt has a long way to go before the revolution can … Read more
Stupid Reasons to be Skeptical of the Arab Spring
There are many challenges to real reform in the Middle East. These are none of them Now that these longstanding rulers are no longer in power in the two countries, where do these seemingly leaderless Arab revolts take Tunisians and Egyptians, and how will they effect change to their systems of governance? Virtually all previous … Read more
Egypt’s Identification Crisis: Islamists in Tahrir
The massive protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo yesterday was certainly an eye-opener. The day was marked as a “Day of Unity” (after secular protesters refused to engage in the proposed “Day of Sharia,”) but it became evident after hundreds of thousands of Islamists, notably from the ultra-conservative Salafi groups, descended on the center of … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
