Middle East Watch

475 Article

• Is the army tightening its grip on Egypt?

  14 February 2011, by Robert Fisk

  Two days after millions of Egyptians won their revolution against the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s army – led by Mubarak’s lifelong friend, General Mohamed el-Tantawi – further consolidated its power over Egypt yesterday, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution. As they did so, the prime minister appointed by Mubarak, ex-General Ahmed Shafiq, told Egyptians that his first priorities were "peace and security" to prevent "chaos and disorder" – the very slogan uttered so (…)

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• The Middle East does not need stability

  10 February 2011, by Gideon Levy

  This so-called stability encompasses millions of Arabs living under criminal regimes and evil tyrannies. By Gideon Levy
  When a tank enters a residential neighborhood, sows fear and destruction, and the local kids throw stones at it, what is this called? "Disturbing the peace." And what do you call the detention of those stone-throwers, allowing the tank to continue on its way without any more trouble? "Restoring order."
  That is how we have shaped our disgustingly laundered language to (…)

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• Palestinians Can Only Watch As Egyptians Are Living Their Dream

  11 February 2011, by Gideon Levy

  In the Jenin refugee camp this week, there was one man who looked like he had been hanged. A rope tied around his body, he rocked back and forth for several long moments - bearing a striking resemblance to the effigy of Egypt’s president strung up in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. But in Jenin, it was the bad servant of the evil queen who was hanged - in a performance of "Alice in Wonderland," based on the story by Lewis Carroll at The Freedom Theater. The audience cheered when they saw the hanged (…)

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• جيش النظام والبرادعي والإخوان!

  بقلم د. عادل سمارة

  إتفقنا، كما يبدو، أن الثورة في تونس ومصر واللواتي "ربما" سيتبعن قريباً أو لاحقاً هي ثورة شعبية أو ثورة العفوية الواعية. عفوية التدفق إلى الشارع ووعي الحق في حياة افضل ووطن للشعب ونظمٍ تصل إلى مقاعد التحكم بالناس على الأقل عبرة اللعبة الانتخابية، بلا تكرار ولا توريث. هذه الثورة هي الرد على المتعجلين واليائسين بأن التاريخ أغلق الباب وما هو قائم هو مؤبداً.
  لقد كتبنا في هذه النشرة كثيراً أن التاريخ وحتى حين يدلهم وجه يعرض مفاتيحاً للمغاليق التي تبدو وكأنها مطلقات. وتظل العبرة في القدرة على (…)

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• Syria’s policies may save it from a Dignity Revolution

  4 February 2011, by John Bell

  Tunisia has fallen; Egypt is on the verge; Jordan, Yemen and Algeria are feeling the tremors.
  Many commentators have mentioned that these revolutions are about bread, freedom and justice, and they have also frequently mentioned “dignity.” Having used that word often to describe Palestinian needs vis-a-vis Israeli occupation, I sought a definition of this keyword, and found: “the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect.”
  This need for status and legitimacy in a community is basic and (…)

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• The Fake Moderation of America’s Moderate Mideast Allies

  4 February 2011, by Asli Bâli, Aziz Rana

  As the Mubarak regime turns to violence in a vain attempt to repress the peaceful protests that have swept Egypt’s streets for over ten days, the risks associated with current U.S. strategy for Egypt and the wider region continue to grow. In its response to the events, the Obama administration has subtly shifted its message, incrementally increasing pressure on the regime over the last week. But the more important story is the remarkable continuities reflected in the administration’s (…)

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• Why isn’t the PA supporting the Egypt uprising?

  3 February 2011, by Amira Haas

  Palestinian leadership has been careful not to support the uprisings, banning demonstrations in solidarity with the Egyptians; Palestinian television has virtually ignored the events in Egypt. By Amira Hass
  The Palestinian leadership has been careful not to support the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and has banned demonstrations in solidarity with the rebelling peoples. Palestinian television has virtually ignored the events in Egypt.
  Dr. Mamdouh al-Aker, a 68-year-old urologist, (…)

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• The triviality of US Mideast policy

  31 January 2011, by Robert Grenier

  "Watching and responding."
  That was the phrase used by PJ Crowley, the US state department spokesman, in his recent interview with Al Jazeera.
  In the midst of the startling and compelling events taking place in the Middle East since the advent of Tunisia’s ongoing "jasmine revolution", with people taking to the streets in Algeria, in Yemen, in Jordan, and, most importantly, shaking the foundations of the Mubarak regime in Egypt - the US, he said, is passively "watching and responding". (…)

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• Tunisia’s Post-Ben Ali Challenge: A Primer

  26 January 2011, by Amy Aisen Kallander

  The January 14 departure of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali amidst popular protests was a long overdue demonstration of the possibility for genuine democratization in the Arab world. Mohamed Bouazizi, the street vendor whose self-immolation set off the protests, tapped a deep vein of anger in Tunisian society at police harassment and the general arbitrariness of the state, but also at severe, endemic economic inequality sharpened now by rising global food prices. It remains to be (…)

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• Egypt’s day of reckoning

  28 January 2011, by Robert Fisk

  A day of prayer or a day of rage? All Egypt was waiting for the Muslim Sabbath today – not to mention Egypt’s fearful allies – as the country’s ageing President clings to power after nights of violence that have shaken America’s faith in the stability of the Mubarak regime.
  Five men have so far been killed and almost 1,000 others have been imprisoned, police have beaten women and for the first time an office of the ruling National Democratic Party was set on fire. Rumours are as dangerous (…)

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