In an article written by assistant Harvard professor Tarek Masoud, he addresses and comments on prominent issues and events leading up to Egypt's current political state. He states that the combination of a "failing regime, aging leader, and a people increasingly willing to confront both" led to the revolution that overwhelmed Egypt in January. Masoud noted the amount of restraint that Mubarak's forces used in the earlier waves of the protests, suggesting ...

In a report released today by the Working Group on Egypt are questions and concerns regarding the transitional government (SCAF) in Egypt. Thoughts and suggestions outlined in the report are summarized below: International monitoring of elections: The report suggests that, "U.S. policymakers should strongly encourage the SCAF to grant domestic as well as international monitors full access to all aspects of the polling process." The SCAF has purported that international monitoring undermines the ...

On Monday, the United States Institute of Peace hosted an event entitled "Beyond Tahrir: The Trajectory of Egypt's Transition." The discussion was with Major General Said Elassar, Assistant to Egyptian Defense Minister, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, United States Institute of Peace, provided introductory remarks. William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, moderated the discussion. For full notes, continue reading. ...

Nearly two dozen political parties, coalitions and movements released a joint statement that condemned the attacks on the Abbasiya March on July 23, calling it the "Second Battle of the Camel."  The original Battle of the Camel took place on February 2 when "anti-government thugs" rode camels and attacked the protesters in Tahrir Square.  The statement said that the organizations “strongly condemn the attacks on the peaceful march which started from ...

Hugh Tomlinson, writing in The Australian, reported that "sources in Washington and the Gulf have confirmed a growing consensus around the idea of relocating the fleet after the recent crackdown on anti-government protests that left at least 32 dead." The idea of possibly moving the Fifth Fleet, currently based in Bahrain, began days after Bahraini security forces began beating, torturing, and killing protesters. The call to move the fleet reportedly ...

On Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem announced travel restrictions on the U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, and on the French Ambassador to Syria, Eric Chevallier. The two are now restricted from travelling outside of Damascus without permission. Moallem said he would impose a blanket ban on all ambassadors if Ford and Chevallier disregard this ban. A U.S. State Department spokesperson condemned the restrictions and insisted that these diplomats be ...

The Muslim Brotherhood confirmed their scheduled "million man march" set to take place in Tahrir Square on July 29 to "circumvent the will of the people and an aggression against the sovereignty of the people."  According to the Brotherhood's secretary general, Mahmoud Hussein, the protests is in response to the attempts by numerous groups to ignore the referendum passed in March that called for the transfer of power from the ...

Tony Karon argues that the Egyptian military is following its natural pattern of working to maintain its autonomy as a self-appointed guardian of the state and assert veto power over democratic processes. Karon compares the military's vision in Egypt to the Turkish model of an earlier era, citing one general's admission to the Washington Post that "Egypt as a country needs this to protect our democracy from the Islamists. We ...

Dina Guirguis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyzed the growing frustration within Egypt regarding the pace of constitutional change. Guirguia presented an argument of conflict and uncertainty within the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), especially concerning the extent to which SCAF would suppress popular protest. She noted the disagreements between SCAF and the Islamists, especially the Freedom and Justice and Party of the Muslim Brotherhood. ...

Protests that began last Friday have continued escalating in Tahrir Square among other various sites in Egypt; a report by Al-Jazeera indicates that at least eight protesters have been injured. Some 30 men wielding knives and sticks tried to bypass a civilian armed checkpoint and were detained by several protesters. One demonstrator confirmed that the men were also throwing rocks at protesters. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf informed interior minister Mansour al-Issawi that ...

Michael Eisenstadt and Jeffrey White from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argued that if the current trends in Syria continue, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad may be forced to rely on army units that are "unable or unwilling to continue the brutal crackdown." Eisenstadt and White examined the limits of the Assad regime's use of force, the potential assistance offered by Tehran and Hezbollah, and the prospects ...

On Wednesday, the Institute for Gulf Affairs hosted a conference titled, "U.S. Foreign Policy and the Future of Bahrain" at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  The conference featured speeches by Bahraini political activists on the violations against human rights and a panel of experts that spoke on the current political situation in Bahrain.  The conference began with opening remarks by Ali al-Ahmed, the director of the Institute for Gulf ...

CNN's Rima Maktabi and Neil Curry report that Egyptian television channels and radio stations are enjoying a new-found sense of freedom in regards to programming capabilities. During the protests at Tahrir Square, the head of Egypt State TV Nihal Kamal says that the state-owned institution lost credibility for not focusing on the revolutionary events. Independent and state-owned agencies alike are in the process of shifting their focus to political programming and ...

New York Times' C.J. Chivers reports that 13 pro-Qadhafi soldiers and 7 rebels were killed on Wednesday when rebel troops took Qawalish, a small mountain town situated outside the capital of Tripoli. The rebel troops also took 15 pro-Qadhafi soldiers as prisoners. The rebels are inching their way towards the capital in hopes of disrupting the supply lines which feed Qadhafi's troops weapons, fuel, and other war-related goods. William Maclean asks ...