Gamal Abdel Nasser | Nasserism
All topics-
Sykes-Picot and the role of Gertrude Bell
Midwife of the Middle East
The order of nation states in the Middle East has been disintegrating since Islamic State fighters overran the Syrian border in 2014 – a border that dates back to 1916 and a secret agreement between the diplomats Sir Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot. Yet one woman also played a key role: the British national Gertrude Bell. Birgit Svensson visited her grave in Baghdad
-
The Egyptian economy
Going, going, gone
Rather than trying to rescue his country′s foundering economy, Egypt′s president, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, has been forced to relinquish territory to Saudi Arabia in return for financial aid. It′s a decision that has sparked a public outcry and widespread derision. By Barak Barfi
-
Politics and religion
The instrumentalisation of religion
Since time immemorial, religion has not only been used as an inspiration and a guide for life, but also as a way of furthering interests and achieving specific political ends. This instrumentalisation can be either intentional or unintentional. In this essay, Hakim Khatib looks at a number of countries where Islam has been instrumentalised in the recent past and examines the various different forms this instrumentalisation can take
-
Repression and legitimation in Egypt
The world as Sisi sees it
A policy formula that only recognises two distinctions – those who are "for the regime" and those who are "against the regime", with the latter arguably grouped under the heading "potential terrorists" – is leading to widespread human rights violations and the persecution of those who hold different political views. A commentary by Thomas Demmelhuber
-
Suez Canal extension
A drop in the ocean?
The Suez Canal extension can be seen as a political success for Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. But Egyptian experts doubt that a single large-scale project such as this will be enough to power up Egypt's sluggish economy. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo
-
Military intervention in the Islamic world
What good is an Arab military alliance?
If new Arab military alliances want to avoid the mistakes of past interventions, their members will have to re-assess their approach and address the structural deficits that led to previous failures. By Omar Ashour
-
Yemeni refugees in Cairo
An unwelcome exile
Food and water are in short supply not only in the conflict zones of Yemen, but also for many Yemenis stranded in Egypt since the conflict broke out in their country. As the Saudi-led alliance bombards Houthi positions in Yemen, it is considered too dangerous for the refugees to return home. By Andrea Backhaus in Cairo
-
Presidential election in Egypt
The déja vu state
Hardly anyone doubts that Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will sweep to victory in Egypt's presidential election on 26 and 27 May, restoring the old, repressive Egyptian state. In this essay, Atef Botros outlines why he feels that it is questionable whether Sisi will succeed and be able to maintain his grip on power in the long term.
-
Book review: "Contemporary Artists – Arab World"
Perceptions of reality
The book "Contemporary Artists – Arab World" shows how different Arab artists have reacted to the upheaval in their countries. By Kersten Knipp
-
Commentary by Daoud Kuttab
An Arab "Third Way"
Throughout the post-colonial period, Arab countries have consistently failed to produce an efficient – let alone democratic – system of government. Now, after a half-century of competition between military or royal dictatorships and militant Islamist regimes, many Arabs are again seeking a "third way"
-
The Arab Spring and the "Nahda" Reform Movement
The Second Arab Renaissance
The democracy movement of 2011 is not the first such upswing to grip the Arab world. It revives the hopes associated with the "Nahda", or "Arab Renaissance", of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. An analysis by Jean-Pierre Filiu
-
Libya after Gaddafi
How the 'Brother Leader' Remained in Power So Long
When Muammar Gaddafi toppled King Idris I, he was less than 30 years old. Yet this very man managed to stay in power for almost 42 years, surviving countless coups and assassination attempts. He himself never expected to stay in control for so long, so how did he do it? By Mustafa Fetouri