Middle East Specialist
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”
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?”
In November 2011, the first parliamentary election was held in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak’s abdication. Egyptians began voting for the National Assembly (lower house) in three phases. The first phase allocated a majority of votes to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and al-Nour, the more fundamentalist Salafist party. At the end of December, the second round of parliamentary elections concluded with another plurality for Islamist parties. The final round of voting is scheduled for tomorrow, with Islamists anticipating similar gains. Continue reading “Egypt’s Islamists and Israel”
Michael Sharnoff, PhD 