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 ...

Women have played a central role in the uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, and now, as some of these countries undergo transitions, women’s rights must be incorporated into broader demands for social, economic, and political reform. In the latest POMED policy brief, Isobel Coleman examines the women’s movements in Tunisia and Egypt in the context of the Arab Spring. A transition to an inclusive, authentic democracy will ...

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. ...

Egypt chose a new finance minister on Sunday as the cabinet reshuffle continued in an effort to appease the protesters that were participating in the sit-in in Tahrir Square.  Samir Radwan will be replaced by Hazem el-Beblawi by an economic adviser and several deputies to Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. The newly appointed finance minister promised on Sunday to implement a maximum for public sector wages in an effort to bridge ...

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. ...

Robert Satloff, executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, analyzed the confirmation today by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the U.S. was having "limited contact" with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Satloff commented that this is not new news, because U.S. officials have engaged with this group in the recent past, although on different terms. However, the trust of his comments were about what he felt was a ...

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a nomination hearing for five ambassadors to the Middle East and Central Asia. The first of the hearing’s two panels featured the Honorable Anne W. Patterson, to be Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt. The second panel featured Michael H. Corbin, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Matthew H. Tueller, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, ...

Young Muslim Brotherhood members announced on Tuesday that they were forming their own political party separate from the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party.  The formation of the party illustrates the division among members of the Muslim Brotherhood.  The "Egyptian Current Party" refers to the Arab Islamic civilization and is "distinguished by its civil and democratic nature. Morals, values and religious principles play a role in regulating its performance."  The party ...

This week, Egypt's interim government recognized the Muslim Brotherhood as an official political party. The Muslim Brotherhood's new party, the Freedom and Justice Party will be able to participate in the  September parliamentary elections.  In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood has appointed members from their organization to lead the party and have forbidden members to join any of the other political parties.  According to an article written in The Atlantic by ...

On Tuesday, the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center and Gallup World Poll presented the key findings from a new poll entitled, “Egypt from Tahrir to Transition.” The event featured Gallup World Poll Deputy Director Jon Clifton and Mohammed Younis, senior analyst from the Abu Dhabi center. Clifton opened explaining the context of the World Poll initiative which began in 2005 and seeks to measure life evaluation trends across the globe. With ...

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, David Schenker argues that the United States must increase economic aid to Egypt. He cites rising unemployment and poverty rates, and argues that the "deterioration of the economy could push the trajectory of the revolution in problematic directions," including populism and Islamism. Yet Robert F. Worth writes in New York Times Magazine that the economic problems driving the Jan 25 revolution remain a serious concern, uniting secular ...

A draft electoral law announced on Sunday by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has triggered widespread criticism from a majority of opposition groups including the January 25th youth coalition. The proposed amendments would require two-thirds of the seats in the People's Assembly, the lower house of the Egyptian Parliament,  to be elected by the individual candidacy system, and the remaining one-third by the party-list (proportional) system for upcoming ...