Egypt

Egypt’s combination of popular street power and military power continued to dominate the unfolding events in that country on Friday. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on the Egyptian masses to gather on Friday to “delegate” to the army the authority necessary to root out terrorism. Al-Sisi got his wish, as enormous crowds […]

Egypt

Egypt: Military announces ‘War on Terror,’ Calls for Massive Demos Against Muslim Brotherhood

Juan Cole

Here are two videos from AFP that help explain all those people milling in the street today in Egypt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Minister of Defense, called for big demonstrations on Friday so that that people can “delegate” to the military the ability to wage a “war on terror.” The use of that language […]

Egypt

A Tale of Two Bombings: Libya too Weak, Egypt too Strong

Juan Cole

On Tuesday, someone set up a Soviet-vintage 107 mortar launcher in a car outside the five-star Corinthia hotel in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, and lobbed a mortar from it, apparently by remote control. The launch caused the car to catch on fire. The mortar shell hit a residential apartment building and put a hole in the […]

Egypt

Egypt’s pro, anti-Morsi Demonstrators Settle in for the Long Game

Juan Cole

Friday saw large demonstrations in Cairo and several other cities by Muslim Brotherhood members demanding the reinstatement of deposed Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi. Those who are happy to see him gone, including millions of youth of the Rebellion Movement, Coptic Christians, working class people hurt by his economic policies, and Mubarak regime leftovers, have less […]

Egypt

Top Ten Ways Egypt Actually Does deeply Matter to the United States

Juan Cole

A Pew poll shows that far fewer Americans are following events in Egypt closely now than in January-February 2011. Actually, about the same percentage are following it “fairly closely” as then (a quarter now versus 31% in 2011). The big fall-off is in people following events on the Nile “very closely,” which are only 15% […]

Egypt

New Egyptian gov’t on being sworn in, Complains of Turkish Interference in Egyptian Affairs

Juan Cole

Egypt’s appointed interim President Adly Mansour swore in a cabinet of 33 ministers on Tuesday, including 3 women, 7 members of the National Salvation Front, and 5 members of the previous, Hisham Qandil, government who agreed to stay on. The cabinet contains some of Egypt’s best economists, raising hopes that the country’s deep economic doldrums […]

Egypt

The Backlash against Political Islam is not a Backlash against Islam: Egypt and Bangladesh

Juan Cole

There is a big difference between being a believing Muslim and being a devotee of political Islam. Political Islam attempts to make the religion a platform for gaining governmental power. This movement (political Islam or the Muslim religious Right) has been very important in many Muslim countries in the past few decades, but its rise […]

Egypt

Egypt: Prosecutor Comes after Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood, as Divided Mass Protests Continue

Juan Cole

Egypt’s June 30 Movement is calling for big demonstrations on Sunday, saying “no” to “terrorism” and “yes” to the “gains of the Revolution.” The movements appears to be identifying elements of the deposed Muslim Brotherhood government as ‘terrorists’ (as far as I know it is mainly the Sinai Muslim radicals that fit that bill, not […]

Egypt

Egyptian PM Biblawi: Egypt had Left the “Arab Group” to Join the “Islamic Group”

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center translates an interview with new interim appointed prime minister of Egypt, Hazem Biblawi, in the Pan-Arab daily, al-Sharq al-Awsat. I have excerpted some of it below: “Interview with Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Hazim al-Biblawi, by Abd-al-Sattar Hatitiah, from Cairo: “New Egyptian Prime Minister in an Interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: Our […]