Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Egypt

Updates on Women, Children, and Human Rights Around the Globe

Updates on Women, Children, and Human Rights Around the Globe

Biogas saves Kenyan school money, conserves nature A school in the rural Rift Valley of central Kenya is a model for successful small-scale response to climate change, according to this article. The school cooks with biogas produced from latrines, eliminating fuel and sanitation costs while reducing harmful carbon emissions and sparing surrounding forests some 150 […]

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There’s “Flame,” But Where’s the Smoke?

There’s “Flame,” But Where’s the Smoke?

Upon hearing of Flame, the recently discovered computer malware sometimes described as the most insidious and sophisticated ever, one’s first thought is bound to be of Stuxnet. Upon discovery of that virus a year and a half ago, analyses by top cyber-security firms soon yielded smoking-gun proof that Stuxnet was custom-made to knock out uranium […]

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Egyptians Wonder “Where is the Revolution?”

Egyptians Wonder “Where is the Revolution?”

One of the biggest international news stories of May, which will continue into June, directly concerns democracy. Last week the Egyptian people voted to elect a president for the first time. This landmark event has been anticipated since last year’s Arab Spring, when hundreds of thousands demanded change in leadership and how the government operated. […]

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A Candid Discussion with Michele Dunne of the Atlantic Council: Egypt’s Prospects for Democracy

A Candid Discussion with Michele Dunne of the Atlantic Council: Egypt’s Prospects for Democracy

Dr. Michele Dunne is director of the Atlantic Council‘s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. She has served in the White House on the National Security Council staff, and on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff and in its Bureau of Intelligence and Research. She was also a diplomat in Cairo and Jerusalem. She sat down with […]

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Did an Arab Winter Yield an Unexpected Spring?

Did an Arab Winter Yield an Unexpected Spring?

It was a simple statement from the State Department, almost lost in the daily flurry of transcripts, very public reactions and carefully nuanced policy papers aimed at high profile flash points in the world. The statement was from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton congratulating the people of Algeria on their elections in mid-May. The […]

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Iran and Egypt

Iran and Egypt

The fundamental divide in Islam is all too often overlooked when evaluating Middle Eastern countries’ relationships, foreign policies, and roles in the international community. Despite a myriad of nuances among Muslims, from spoken language to the sect of Islam to which they belong, the majority of people worldwide ignorantly group Muslims into one category: Muslim. […]

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Ben’s Words of Advice

Ben’s Words of Advice

  The American Revolution and the broad romantic view of U.S. democracy have often provided inspiration and guidance to those seeking democracy in their own nations – and for good reason. The amazing set of circumstances that made the American Revolution spark and then succeed, the lofty words of human rights that fueled the new […]

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Chester A. Arthur, Communism, and Egypt’s Constitutional Court

Chester A. Arthur, Communism, and Egypt’s Constitutional Court

Just as the blogosphere was starting to become familiar with the likely frontrunners in Egypt’s upcoming presidential race, the election commission disqualified three of the most most visible candidates, upholding this decision on Tuesday. The commission deemed candidates ineligible for various reasons: Salafist preacher Hazem Abu Ismail’s mother was an American citizen, Muslim Brotherhood financier Khairat al-Shater […]

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U.S. Foreign Policy and The Arab Spring

U.S. Foreign Policy and The Arab Spring

This article, appeared on the Political Reflections Magazine, vol.3, n.2, is the second part of my review of FPA’s Great Decisions episode on the Arab Spring: The first part, providing a general overview of the debate can be found here. ********************************** As the uncertainty of the Arab Spring continues, the debate on the future of […]

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SCAF’s Constitutional Declaration – Uncertainty and Hope for Egypt’s Bicameral Legislature

SCAF’s Constitutional Declaration – Uncertainty and Hope for Egypt’s Bicameral Legislature

February 11 marked the one year anniversary of the official fall of Hosni Mubarak from power.  What started with street demonstrations and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) overthrowing the President and dissolving the Parliament, was followed by a referendum to amend the existing constitution and fresh Parliamentary election.  On February 22, the […]

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The NATO Moment of Truth Faces the Arab League

The NATO Moment of Truth Faces the Arab League

It took NATO 46 years and eight months before it intervened with military force to protect innocent civilians from harm and manage a conflict on its periphery. Can we truly expect the Arab League to move any quicker in dealing with problems in its neighborhood? Probably not. When NATO finally heeded the call from those […]

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Tunisia Leads the Way, For the Moment

Tunisia Leads the Way, For the Moment

Anniversaries are dangerous days and dangerous moments. There is often a lot of celebrating, a flash of attention and then the sun goes down and life goes on as before. We properly celebrate an accomplishment from the past without real thought or determination on how to preserve and build on the celebrated triumph. So now […]

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America : A Constitutional Midwife for the Arab World!

America : A Constitutional Midwife for the Arab World!

A recent article by Nathan Brown in the FP (Americans, put away your quills), eloquently argues against the advocacy and promotion of “American constitutional ideas” (and ideals) in Arab countries currently in transition due to the Arab Spring.  Although the history of U.S. constitutional transplantation is mixed at best (failed in Latin America in the […]

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Where Bibi and Golda Meet

Where Bibi and Golda Meet

This week I met with an Israeli military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, about Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s leadership.  While he lauded his economic acumen and abilities as a politician, the official continually said that Bibi is insincere about peace with the Palestinians and unable to make the tough and unpopular […]

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Tragedies of 2011 Also Inspire

Tragedies of 2011 Also Inspire

2011 was a year of heartbreaking tragedies for journalists caught up in the tide of massive world events. Certain cases of journalists killed and attacked in the crossfire of the stories they were reporting stand out. In 2011, there were many instances in which the media became part of the story they were covering. Sometimes […]

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Foreign Policy Blogs is a network of global affairs blogs and a supplement to the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. Staffed by professional contributors from the worlds of journalism, academia, business, non-profits and think tanks, the FPB network tracks global developments on Great Decisions 2014 topics, daily. The FPB network is a production of the Foreign Policy Association.