Published in Egypt Independent on February 26, 2012 The trial of 43 pro-democracy activists, including almost 20 US citizens, on the charges of working illegally in Egypt, has left many puzzled and bewildered. Over the past two weeks, US diplomats, congressmen and military generals have been shuttling between Cairo and Washington in a frantic attempt to figure out what lays behind this sudden move and to secure the release of the charged US citizens. And while many Egyptians seem to have bought the official line that this was a long-overdue move aimed at subjecting foreign NGOs to local legislation and…
Leave a CommentMonth: February 2012
An interview with the BBC Radio 4 The World Today program one day after the Port Said Massacre in which 72 people were killed. (Egypt part starts at 07:34 and my contribution starts at 12:39.) This video clearly shows the police forces on the pitch standing idly doing nothing to control the crows.
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Published in the New York Times on February 1, 2012 The economy has always been the Achilles’ heel of the Egyptian revolution. “Bread, freedom and social justice” has been one of the slogans of the revolution, but the revolutionaries failed to translate this slogan into specific proposals that could rejuvenate the economy and improve the lot of Egyptians. Indeed, since the revolution broke out on Jan. 25, 2011, millions have been suffering economically. As a result of the precarious security situation, foreign investors have been wary of coming to Egypt, local businesses have been reluctant to pump in more money,…
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