Algeria descended into civil war when its military suppressed the country’s democratically popular Islamists. Could the same happen in Egypt?
What Do Thailand, Ukraine, Belgium, and Egypt Have in Common? Dysfunctional Democracies
When the losing party in an election resorts to extra-legal measures, democracy is threatened and secession may follow.
Egypt: The First Nation Ever to Revolt Against Democracy?
In fact, the military’s claims that Egyptian protesters sought an end to the experiment in democracy are highly doubtful.
Egypt’s Dark Tunnel
The Egyptian people face a very difficult choice. They must choose a path that does not lead toward greater violence, further economic decline, dictatorship, or even civil war. Egypt must somehow avoid the fate of Syria (a civil war with over 100,000 civilian...
Standing Up in Turkey
I arrived in Istanbul last September just as protests were flaring up throughout Turkey. An activist had died at a protest in a southern city, one of several victims of the confrontations with riot police over the last year. By the time I got to Taksim Square in the...
Foreign Policy Thin-Sliced (8/23/13)
Egypt: A Peaceful State Rule by a Junta “We have this thing about us, that the Egyptian Army is untouchable,” [a woman named] Israa said. “So many want Egypt ruled with an iron grip,” she said. [But] “This is not us. … It’s not Egypt at all. We are not happy with...
Washington and the Egyptian Tragedy
As in El Salvador, Nicaragua, East Timor, Angola, Lebanon, and Gaza in previous years, the massive killing of civilians in Egypt is being done with U.S.-provided weapons by a U.S.-backed government. As a result, the Obama administration and Congress are morally...
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Reform or Relapse?
In the immediate aftermath of the coup that deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, it looked as though the Muslim Brothers had decided to embrace all options, including violence, to regain their footing and demand Morsi's reinstatement. In the heat of the moment,...
Egypt’s Treacherous Road
Egyptians continue to find themselves in the throes of a revolution that began in January of 2011. Rarely are these easy periods for any nation, but now the darkness of oppression has brought the worst upon the people of Egypt. The recently deposed President Mohamed...
The New Rules of the Game in Egypt
Since deposing the country’s democratically elected government and rounding up supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s military has launched several bloody assaults on Islamist protesters and supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Its notorious August 14...