Anthony Shadid in the New York Times, discussed the "perilous" nature of change in the Arab world. He noted the dramatic changes occurring in Syria, Yemen, along the Egyptian/Israeli border, and in Libya. Shadid discussed regional instability and questioned assumptions that former Gadhafi regime members would have limited influence in the future government, citing the continuous political and sectarian fighting in Iraq as a potential outcome. Deborah Ball and Cassell Bryan-Low from ...

Eric Trager writes on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout the political transition of Egypt.  Trager argues that "The Brotherhood is Egypt's most cohesive political movement, with an unparalleled ability to mobilize its followers, who will serve it extremely well in a country still unaccustomed to voting."  From January through March this year, Trager interviewed about 30 current and former Brotherhood members in an effort to examine its organizational ...

Michael Hanna writes in Foreign Policy about the confusion the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in Egypt has caused through its "erratic decision-making process and its complete lack of transparency."  Rumors suggest that the SCAF's intention is to re-impose de facto military rule, and activists claim that the SCAF is planning to block systematic change and will continue the repressive rule of the former regime. Historically, the SCAF has been ...

Esraa Abdel Fatah, a political activist and the head of the Egyptian Democratic Academy, reported that Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) summoned representatives for August 18 for interrogation.  The summoned representatives include staff members, Hossam Ali, Ahmed Ghoneim, Basem Samir and more.  According to Abdel Fatah, the subpoena did not specify why the representatives of the academy are under investigation, but she believes that it may be related ...

Semira Nikou, from the United States Institute of Peace, speaks with Seyed Hossein Mousavian, the former foreign policy adviser to Iran's former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on whether Iran is "ready" to begin diplomatic negotiations with the United States.   According to Mousavian, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be "ready to negotiate" once Iran is offered the "right solutions package" by the P5+1 (five permanent members of the ...

Egyptian activist and blogger Asmaa Mahfouz was arrested on August 14 and charged with "defaming the Egyptian military." According to Freedom House, her arrest "is part of a larger crackdown on public debate in Egypt," at a time when "a number of troubling signs about Egypt’s political direction have recently emerged." Mahfouz was released on bail and referred to military court. Meanwhile, lawyer Maha Abou Bakr was released from prison. She was charged with insulting ...

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's trial has been adjourned until September 5, Judge Ahmed Refaat announced today. Mubarak's lawyer, Farid al-Deeb, called for postponement of the trial in order to ensure that all necessary evidence and documentation was reviewed. Live broadcast of the trial has also been banned until a verdict is reached. The former leader is being tried alongside former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly in a merged trial. Mubarak's two sons, Gamal ...

The hundreds of homeless people that had been camping out in front of Cairo's government media building began packing up their things to go home after the government said they had found residences for them.  Reports made on Saturday stated violent clashes broke out between protesters and government forces, however, the conflict ended after the government emphasized that residential units were ready.  Since all the tents were removed, military and ...

Yesterday, the USAID director in Egypt abruptly and unexpectedly resigned and flew back to Washington, D.C. Reportedly, the director quit after less than a year on the job amid an ongoing dispute between "two longtime allies over American funding for prodemocracy groups." Obama's administration chastised Egyptian leaders for promoting anti-American sentiment in the months following the revolution. Jim Bever resigned the following day. Youth groups in Egypt are growing increasingly impatient over ...

Marina Ottaway writes that Tunisia and Egypt are facing major transitional issues as both countries set up interim governments to organize and manage elections. 'Popular pressure' stemming from continued protests could eventually force the government to give in to street rule if not managed properly. The question of how and when elections will take place has been a topic of concern for Ottaway and others, as both countries have faced setbacks ...

Nathan Brown writes on what the U.S. policy is toward engaging the Muslim Brotherhood in an article entitled, "What Does the U.S. Want to Talk to the Brotherhood About?" According to Brown, the Obama administration is not going to engage in "some grand dialogue between the United States and the Islamist movement but instead a slow and limited resumption of normal diplomatic contact with a leading social and political actor."  Brown ...

Today, Egypt's renowned Al-Azhar University condemned the ongoing attacks on Syrian protesters by President Bashar al-Assad's security forces. Grand imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, originally shied away from commenting on the ongoing violence due to its "sensitive nature". However, he said, "the situation has gone too far and there is no other solution but to put an end to this Arab and Islamic tragedy." Additionally, al-Azhar demanded that "the Syrian regime respect the ...

Writing for The National, Issandr El-Amrani says the Muslim Brotherhood held elections Saturday to fill three executive board seats, demonstrating a newfound adherence to democratic practices. The Brotherhood, El-Amrani suggests, has been a prominent component of Egyptian politics for years, yet they have always been somewhat feared for having views that were too conservative. For this reason, he writes, the group has been both nurtured and suppressed. This is also the reason many members of ...

Activists in Egypt called for a massive protest in Tahrir Square next Friday in an effort to denounce military assaults on protesters.  Additionally, activists released a statement condemning the use of  force against activists and protesters after military forces cleared the sit-ins in Tahrir Square on August 1.  According to the statement, activists had planned to suspend protests during Ramadan, however, after the use of force against protesters they called ...

Eric Trager says that while many consider the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak one of the biggest achievements of the January uprising in Egypt, youth protesters are still pushing for further reform actions to be taken. Namely, they wish to see the interim military government reminiscent of a Mubarak-era regime replaced. Islam Lofty stated, "The revolution is not marches and demonstrations. It is a huge process to change social life ...

Lawyers astounded Egyptian courtroom officials on Wednesday when they rushed to address the judge presiding over the cases of former President Hosni Mubarak, his sons, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six of his assistants. There were 85 lawyers representing 414 of the victims' families, although it is reported that at least half of the 'lawyers' weren't official representatives. One lawyer exclaimed that Mubarak was a serial killer; another asserted that ...