Middle East
Hundreds wounded in Cairo’s Tahrir Square
The BBC's John Simpson said Mubarak supporters were trying to force the protesters out of the square Continue reading the main story Egypt UnrestEgypt unrest Live Lessons of history Anxious Israel Q&A: Egypt protests There have been fierce clashes in the Egyptian capital between supporters of President Hosni Mubarak and protesters calling on him to resign immediately.
Horses, Camels, Rocks, Molotovs: Egypt’s Thug
Egypt runs an ultra-modern security state, with extensive experience wielding the latest tools of repression. That was on display when the government shut down the Internet for six days in order to break up massive protests against President Hosni Mubarak. But as Mubarak's thugs go into suppression mode against protesters in Cairo, they're using low-tech [...]
Chaos in Cairo: Regime Attacks Protesters
A plume of thick white smoke is emerging right now in Cairo's Tahrir Square, an epicenter of Egypt's massive protests, as "running battles" have broken out between the anti-regime protesters and pro-government forces. The Egyptian Army has yet to intervene. It would appear the government of Hosni Mubarak, on the ropes for the past eight [...]
The Syrians are watching
In one of Old Damascus' new cafes, text messages buzzed between mobiles in quick succession, drawing woops of joy and thumbs up from astonished Syrians. Suzan Mubarak, the wife of the Egyptian president, had flown into exile with her son - so the rumours went - driven out of the country by days of unprecedented protest against the 30-year rule of her husband.
Signal disruptions hit Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera has said its broadcast signal across the Arab region is facing interference on a scale it has not experienced before. Signals on Egypt's Nilesat platform were cut, and frequencies on the Arabsat and satellite Hotbird platforms were disrupted continually, forcing millions of viewers across the Arab world to change satellite frequencies throughout Tuesday.
Egyptian-Americans hold rallies
Politics pervade Cairo’s streets
Tuesday was billed as a game-changer, the day of a "Million March" that would swell the crowd in Tahrir Square, along with its spirits, as protesters promised a decisive action that would deliver the message to Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, that no concession aside from his abdication would satisfy Egypt s widespread unrest.
President Mubarak toes US line, but defiant tone throws White House
Reactions to Hosni Mubarak’s speech
Military Role Crucial in Egypt Unrest
Mass arrest of protestors by Egyptian security forces
Does Egypt have free speech protections?
The fate of Hosni Mubarak's government now seems to hinge on the military, and both sides are watching to see how the army handles protesters. On Tuesday night, demonstrators rejoiced as a uniformed spokesman vowed that the military would not use force, because "freedom of expression through peaceful means is guaranteed to everybody." Does Egypt's constitution make that guarantee?
New Service Allows Egyptian Voices to Be Heard
A dispatch for Tuesday’s massive gathering in Tahrir Square.
Hend is walking slowly, one halting step at a time. The 79-year-old pauses to rest on a raised curb across from two burned-out state security trucks and the looted headquarters of Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party. The streets surrounding Cairo's central square are closed to cars, and getting to the massive gathering in Midan Tahrir is taking a lot of energy, but Hend is unwavering. After five minutes, she gets up and starts shuffling forward again.
U.S. Ambassador Speaks with Elbaradei
Egypt’s Ambiguous Revolution
Every revolution against autocracy is initially stirring. Who wouldn t have cheered when Louis XVI was forced to convene the Estates General, or when a liberal provisional government took over from Czar Nicholas, or when the rank and file of the Shah s army refused to fire on protesters in the streets?
After the Revolution
Do we sympathize with the tens of thousands of Egyptians marching to topple the regime of Hosni Mubarak? It would be churlish not to. Poverty, insecurity, lack of basic services (the tap water in Cairo is reportedly unsafe to drink), endemic corruption, and political repression have characterized life there for as long as anyone can remember. The military regime lacks legitimacy, having governed since 1967 under a state of emergency.
Egyptian protests How a food crisis is driving a political crisis. –
The Egyptian protests are exhilarating, but it’s important to think about what comes next
There's an annoying sense of giddiness in a lot of the commentary that has appeared about the first few days of the Egyptian unrest. "Politicians like stability. Bankers like stability," Anne Applebaum wrote here in Slate presumably suggesting that we the people, who can't stand politicians or bankers, don't care much for stability.
‘Mubarak, today is your last day’
As the crowd went wild, a man in army fatigues was hoisted on to shoulders and carried into the square they have made their own for eight days. On the steps of the mosque, he brandished his ID card and waved a national flag before the cheering masses. Was he a soldier? "Of course," said Marwa Massoud, 34. "We are the army and the people, united."
As ElBaradei Rises, U.S. Works to Size Him Up
Mr. ElBaradei, 68, had a fractious relationship with the Bush administration, one so hostile that Bush officials tried to get him removed from his post at the atomic watchdog agency. But as Egypt s powerful Muslim Brotherhood and the secular opposition on the streets of Cairo have increasingly coalesced around Mr. ElBaradei to negotiate on their behalf, the Obama administration is scrambling to figure out whether he is someone with whom the United States can deal.
Allying Ourselves With the Next Egypt
EVEN if the protests shaking Egypt subside in the coming days, the chaos of the last week has forever changed the relationship between the Egyptian people and their government. The anger and aspirations propelling a diverse range of citizens into the streets will not disappear without sweeping changes in the social compact between the people and the government and these events also call for changes in the relationship between the United States and a stalwart Arab ally.
Exit the Israel Alibi
For too long, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the great diversion, exploited by feckless Arab autocrats to distract impoverished populations. None of these Arab leaders ever bothered to visit the West Bank. That did not stop them embracing the justice of the Palestinian cause even as they trampled on justice at home.
Mubarak Wants One Last Crackdown for The Road
On the face of it, Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak vowed to leave power on his own terms - not those of the protesters who ve spent the past seven days demanding he step down. But looking at his just-finished speech a little deeper, Mubarak all but threatened one final crackdown on the dissidents who've upended his [...]
Exhilarated by the Hope in Cairo
The Quest for Dignity
Mubarak Says He WonÂ’t Run for President Again
Bones of democracy
Many think that Mubarak's demise will create a vacuum that only Islamists can fill. That is what Mubarak wanted everyone to believe -- including the Egyptian Christian minority and the middle classes of Cairo and Alexandria, as well as Western democracies, led by America. Mubarak peddled that yarn while his government quietly supported the Islamists to prevent the emergence of democratic forces.
Jihadi “Media Whores” Piggybacking on Egypt Unrest
Listen to some "terrorism" analysts on the tee vee, and you'd think that the protests in Egypt and Tunisia have been led by Osama Bin Laden himself. But don't buy the spin. These jihadi posers are trying to squeeze as much media attention out of the Middle East upheaval as the pundits you see popping [...]
US-Israeli Strategy Crashes in Egypt
Since 1978, President Jimmy Carter s Camp David peace accords, which ended hostilities between Egypt and Israel, has created space for a possible long-term settlement of the Middle East conflict, but hardliners in Washington and Israel successfully rallied to prevent any further territorial concessions by Israel to the Arabs.
Al Jazeera Offers Up Egypt Coverage To Anyone Who Wants To Use It Under Creative Commons License
If you've been following the goings on in Egypt over the past week, it's likely that you at least saw some of Al Jazeera's rather comprehensive coverage. The Egyptian government was so annoyed by the coverage that it "shut down" Al Jazeera's Egyptian offices (and Egyptian politicians are calling for trying Al Jazeera correspondents as "traitors"). Of course, it's worth pointing out that most of us in the US have no options for watching Al Jazeera via a regular TV channel either, since almost no US TV companies are willing to carry the channel.
How Egypt did (and your government could) shut down the Internet
How hard is it, exactly, to kill the Internet? Egypt seems to have been able to do it. But Egypt's situation isn't exactly the same as that in the Western world. And even though Egypt only has four big ISPs, the fact that everything went down after midnight local time suggests that it took considerable effort to accomplish the 'Net shut-off. After all, it seems unlikely that President Hosni Mubarak ordered the Internet to be shut down as he went to bed; such a decision must have been made earlier in the day, and then taken hours to execute
How Many People Are in Tahrir Square? Here’s How to Tell
Tens of thousands of people gathered today in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Or maybe it was a hundred thousand. Or could've been up to two million. Except, by some counts, the Square can't hold more than 225,000. Every time a ton of people gather in one place, there are all sorts of pronouncements made about how many [...]
Food and failed Arab states
Even Islamists have to eat. It is unclear whether President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt will survive, or whether his nationalist regime will be replaced by an Islamist, democratic, or authoritarian state. What is certain is that it will be a failed state. Amid the speculation about the shape of Arab politics to come, a handful of observers, for example economist Nourel Roubini, have pointed to the obvious: Wheat prices have almost doubled in the past year
Egyptian Islamists in exile call on army to side with people
A number of Islamists in Britain have demanded that the Egyptian army side with the people regarding the ongoing protests in the country against the Hosni Mubarak regime. Yasser al-Sirri, Director of the "Islamic Observation Centre", a body that campaigns for Islamist detainees rights around the world, released an open statement addressing the Egyptian army. This statement read "To the Egyptian army, men of the armed forces: move and side with the people before it is too late".
U.S. sees a role for Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt
White House Gives Thumbs Up to Muslim Brotherhood
The triviality of US Mideast policy
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".
Jewish prayers for Egypt’s uprising
US envoy in Cairo for talks
A former US ambassador to Egypt is in Cairo and "has the ability" to talk to Egyptian leaders, PJ Crowley, the US state department spokesman, said on Monday. Crowley gave no details of who Frank G Wisner, the ambassador to Egypt from 1986 to 1991, would meet but said he would have the opportunity to reinforce the US message to Egypt.
Protesters flood Egypt streets
Protesters hold huge Cairo demonstration
Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Cairo for MubarekÂ’s Ouster
The Impact Of Egypt Cutting Itself Off From The Internet
As the news came out late Monday that the last remaining independent ISP, who had remained online in Egypt, has now turned off its connection to the wider internet as well, people are beginning to explore what this all means. Andrew McLaughlin, who until recently was the deputy CTO of the Obama administration, has penned a thoughtful article for the Guardian noting how this emphasizes how infrastructure really matters and how limited competition allows these situations to develop:
Mullen to Egypt’s Army: Way To Not Kill Protesters!
The Obama administration's approach to the unrest in Egypt has been as clear as mud. So it's striking to hear the head of the U.S. military offer an unalloyed "attaboy" to Egyptian troops, for allowing protesters to gather in peace. 'So far, the Egyptian military have handled themselves exceptionally well," said Adm. Mike Mullen, America's top [...]
Assad Says Syria Immune From Unrest Roiling Egypt
ISRAEL: Is the U.S. attitude to Egypt a message
A view from the streets.
When I first met Tarek Nowar, an activist leader, he was depressed. Working day and night for five months to convince Egyptians to sign a petition and join him in protesting President Hosni Mubarak's government had not had much effect. Most people he approached on the streets asked him: "What's the use? Nothing will change." And when we spoke in October 2010, Tarek admitted that even he wasn't sure anything would change. And then everything did.
How a food crisis is driving a political crisis.
Mubarak orders new VP Suleiman to open dialogue with Egypt opposition
Israel allows Egypt troops in Sinai for first time since 1979 peace treaty
More Than 2,400 Americans Seek Ride on Evacuation Planes Out of Egypt
Egypt’s Treasures Saved from Looters and Vandals
Just What Is The Muslim Brotherhood
While analysts ask who or what is behind the sustained protests in Egypt, one group is now seeking political legitimacy. Technically banned under Egypt's constitution that forbids religious based parties, the Muslim Brotherhood is now throwing its support behind Mohammed el Baradei as an opposition leader.
Egypt businesses hit by instability
Mubarak swears in new cabinet
Egypt at the tipping point
If the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak falls, the tipping point will have been mid-afternoon of January 28. For several hours after the conclusion of Friday noon prayers, the police and Central Security Forces successfully kept demonstrators away from the center of Cairo. About 2:00 pm, 20,000 protestors broke through the blockades and took over the Qasr al-Nil Bridge connecting Giza and Zamalek to Tahrir Square, the hub of the downtown district. Two hours later the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party, which President Mubarak leads, was on fire.
Protests in Egypt
Egyptian sources are dismissing reports that Gamal Mubarak and his family have left Cairo for London. If those earlier accounts were not outright propaganda, they seem to have been based more on wishful thinking than reality.The Mubarak regime is not as brittle as that of Tunisia s erstwhile president-for-life, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and right now seems to be in little danger of falling. However, it does seem to be the case that the protests erupting throughout Egypt s major cities are less about President Hosni Mubarak s 29-year-long reign than they are about the succession of the man who seems to be his chosen heir, his 47-year-old son Gamal.
Government Offers Talks With Protesters After Army Says It Will Not Fire
The political forces aligned against President Hosni Mubarak seemed to strengthen on Monday, when the Army said for the first time that it would not fire on the protesters who have convulsed Egypt for the last week. The announcement was followed shortly by the government s first offer to talk to the protest leaders.
Mubarak’s Going to Saudi Arabia, CIA-Backed Forecasters Say
Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule of Egypt is probably coming to an end, and that means he ll likely leave Egypt right after he leaves power. (Dictators don t usually stick around the countries they dictated.) So where would Mubarak flee? One data mining company, backed by the investment arms of Google and the CIA, has an educated [...]
Weighing the Unknowns in Egypt
For too long the familiar stories of repression and resistance went undercovered in the American press.
Palestinian Adversaries Unite, for Now, Over Unrest in Egypt
The Hamas rulers of Gaza and the rival Palestinian Authority leadership of the West Bank rarely see eye-to-eye on anything. But with mass protests rocking Egypt, across Gaza s southern border, the Palestinian adversaries have united in maintaining a cautious silence, hedging their bets given the unpredictability of the outcome and clearly concerned about a possible spread of popular unrest to their areas.
Egyptian Army Says It Will Not Fire on Protesters
Did Egypt’s Army Just Throw Mubarak Under The Bus?
It looks like Egypt's dissidents got a major boost for their emerging revolution. The Egyptian Army reportedly issued a statement saying it will not crack down on the thousands of protesters, ahead of a planned general strike tomorrow that seeks to put a million Egyptians in the streets. The Army says it "will not use force"
Why Washington is so blind on Egypt
As Egypt s vast protest enters its seventh day, it is clear that the people on the streets -- young and old, secular and religious, men and more than a few women -- have already started to change the strategic geography of the whole Middle East. Egypt's 83 million people and its strategic location make it the most politically weighty country in the Arab world.
Shame drives people to the streets.
Egypt’s revolution began in “the Arab street.” Where does that phrase come from?
A Look At How Egypt Shut Down The Internet
Torturers, Jailers, Spies Lead Egypt’s “New” Government
Dissidents demanding the end of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime had better hope they don t end up under arrest. The first members of Mubarak's new cabinet - a face-lift so he can stay in power - are heavily involved in the apparatus of state repression, including a spymaster who worked with the U.S. to torture [...]
Protests Persist in Egypt as New Cabinet Is Seated
Obama administration aligns itself with protests in Egypt with call for ‘orderly transition’
The Obama administration firmly aligned itself on Sunday with the protest movement that has overtaken Egypt, calling for an "orderly transition" to a more representative government amid rising U.S. concern that the demonstrations are turning violent and that unrest could spread across the Arab world.