On Tuesday, while Americans were commemorating the eleventh anniversary of September 11, a mob in Libya stormed the U.S. Consulate and killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others. Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif apologized for the “cowardly” attacks and pledged to work with Washington to apprehend the killers. President Obama acknowledged that this isolated attack would not undermine bilateral relations and that Libya and the U.S. would cooperate. Continue reading “The Limitations of U.S. Influence in Egypt”
Category: Egypt
Morsy Consolidates Power
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy – who was sworn into office only six weeks ago – has successfully forced Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Chief of Staff, Sami Anan, into retirement. Continue reading “Morsy Consolidates Power”
MB, Hamas and Hezbollah Sinai Conspiracy
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah (indirectly) blamed Israel for Sunday’s deadly terrorist attack in Sinai which left sixteen Egyptian soldiers dead. They have not produced a shred of evidence to support their egregious claims. Continue reading “MB, Hamas and Hezbollah Sinai Conspiracy”
Dajani: Morsi Beyond the Islamist Identity
Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi writes in a guest column for Levantine Routes
For the next decade, think tanks in the United States and Europe will be analyzing why an Islamist won the Egyptian presidential elections. To save them the trouble, I will give them the simple answer: the Egyptian voters did not vote for Mohammed Morsi as an individual or for his election platform. They did not watch his interviews to see where he stands on the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, women, Christians, etc. Continue reading “Dajani: Morsi Beyond the Islamist Identity”
More Danger in Sinai
A group of unknown Islamist jihadis are believed to be responsible for yesterday’s deadly attack in Sinai which left 16 Egyptians dead. The Islamists allegedly entered Egypt via Gaza and were perhaps joined by other Bedouin in eastern Sinai. Their goal was to ultimately infiltrate Israel and kill or kidnap soldiers and civilians. Hamas for its part has denied any involvement. Continue reading “More Danger in Sinai”
Morsy’s Letter to Peres
Peres has verified this exchange on his official Facebook page.
The Egypt-Gaza Nexus
A gradual yet significant shift in Egyptian policy toward Gaza has occurred since Mohamed Morsi won the presidency in democratic elections in June. Hosni Mubarak enforced a blockade of Gaza with Israel since 2007, severely limiting the freedom of movement for Palestinians. Continue reading “The Egypt-Gaza Nexus”
How Will Egyptian Islamists Rule?
Published in the Huffington Post on Jan. 3, 2012.
Polling data in Egypt suggests that Islamist parties will gain a majority of seats in Egypt’s future parliament. While it is too soon to predict whether an Islamist government in Egypt can coexist with democracy, and whether it can adopt a truly “Egypt-first” approach which focuses on domestic concerns above foreign and external issues, recent developments raise concerns regarding Egypt’s future. Continue reading “How Will Egyptian Islamists Rule?”
Michael Sharnoff, PhD 