Middle East

Nobelist in chemistry, Dr. Ahmed Zewail of the California Institute of Technology, is an Egyptian-American who has sometimes been mentioned as a candidate for president of Egypt. He has served as a science envoy to the Arab world of President Obama. In an interview on Aljazeera Arabic, Zewail called for fundamental change in Egypt, not […]

Egypt

Mubarak’s Response to Demand for end of Military Rule

Juan Cole

Gen. Hosni Mubarak’s response to a mass uprising demanding an end to military rule in Egypt? He appoints the former head of Egyptian military intelligence (Omar Suleiman) his vice president (and therefore likely successor). He appoints the Air Force Chief of Staff (Ahmad Shafiq) as prime minister. Can you spell TONE DEAF? Meanwhile, crowds in […]

Egypt

Mubarak Turns to Military for Support

Juan Cole

After a dramatic day in which hundreds of thousands of Egyptians came out in all the major towns and cities of the country to challenge the police and the ruling party, President Hosni Mubarak finally appeared on Egyptian television Friday evening to read a speech in which he announced that he would dismiss his cabinet. […]

Egypt

“Egypt is a Praetorian State:” Cole on Democracy Now!

Juan Cole

My interview on Democracy Now on the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 is available on the Web. A text transcript follows at that link. and here it is mirrored on YouTube:

Egypt

Thousands of Protesters Challenge Police Crackdown in Egypt

Juan Cole

Thousands of protesters came out into the streets of Cairo on Friday, to be met with concerted opposition from the security police, who kept them away from Maidan al-Tahrir (Liberation Square) with crowd control vehicles, police phalanxes, and barriers. People massed on bridges and overpasses beyond the grasp of the police below, and sometimes threw […]

Egypt

Egyptian Demonstrators Rev up for Big Friday as Regime Cracks Down

Juan Cole

As of Friday Egypt began being cut off from text messaging and internet access was disrupted ahead of planned mass protests. At 12:30 am Egyptian time, according to an email sent around by activists, the internet went down completely. The government is attempting to interfere in dissidents’ ability to organize. Similar techniques were used by […]

Egypt

Egyptians Defy Protest Ban, Plan big Rallies for Friday; Death toll Rises to 6

Juan Cole

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed away from her unqualified support of the Egyptian government on Wednesday, saying, “We believe strongly that the Egyptian government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement political, economic and social reforms to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people.” The Obama […]

Tunisia

Anzalone: Hezbollah’s Double Standards: Tunisia and Iran

Juan Cole

Christopher Anzalone writes in a guest column for Informed Comment Hezbollah’s Double Standards: Tunisia, Iran, & Popular Protest Hezbollah just issued a statement via its media relations office expressing strong support for “the people’s uprising” (the Arabic term intifada is used) in Tunisia. This, only days after it and its allies withdrew their ministers from […]

Egypt

Egypt forbids Protests a Day after it was Shaken by Thousands of Demonstrators, 3 Killed

Juan Cole

Egypt was wracked by demonstrations on Tuesday’s “Day of Rage,” called for by the April 6 committee of youth activists on social media last week. The protesters were hoping to profit from the momentum for reform in the region created by the Tunisian revolution, which forced the Ben Ali regime from power nearly two weeks […]