Middle East

The military government of Gen. Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, the minister of defense, has taken important steps toward mollifying the Jan. 25 protest movement, but it is not clear that these measures can succeed in forestalling further clashes and severe conflicts in Egypt. The government has appointed respected jurist Tareq al-Bishri to head a committee charged […]

My column in Truthdig is out, entitled Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman Excerpt: ‘ The hysteria in American media about Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is not only ignorant and demagogic, it is hypocritical. The United States has actively promoted Muslim Brotherhood branches in other countries when it suited its purposes, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]

5. Thousands of protesters marched Sunday on the presidential palace of Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Salih, who has ruled since 1978. The United States has increasingly forged a relationship with the Yemeni military aimed at destroying the alleged al-Qaeda operatives in that country. Aljazeera English has video on Yemen: 4. After 3,000 protesters came out in […]

The Egyptian military high command council issued Communique no. 5 Sunday, answering some of the lingering questions being posed by protesters on Sunday. McClatchy has the translation. The communique makes it clear that Minister of Defense Mohammad Hussein Tantawi is the provisional head of state. Despite his closeness to the Mubarak regime before the revolution, […]

An attempt by the military police to clear Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo Sunday of all protesters seemed as though it were succeeding until mid-morning. They removed most of the tents, and made a path for traffic through the area, a vital artery. There were some beatings of protesters and minor scuffles. Then protesters poured […]

Hosni Mubarak is gone to the wild elation of Egyptian crowds. The country is now being run by a council of military officers. They say that they want a transition to a civilian elected government this fall. What do the people who made the revolution want? I argued in Detroit News that this movement is […]

Having refused to jump, Mubarak was pushed out by the military on Friday. Was traveling, will update tonight. The roller coaster media ride on Thursday centered on stories coming out of unnamed, highly placed Egyptian sources that President Hosni Mubarak would give a speech that evening in which he stepped down. When the time came, […]