There has been a lot of talk about the Egyptian military the last few days.  In light of this commentary, I thought it would be a good idea to offer the top 5 things people should know about the armed forces: Read more »

No way to confirm: Reports that the army has taken over for the police in Suez.

Situation here is fluid.  Conflicting reports of clashes and protestors gaining on police.  Al Jazeera showing footage of large protests in Cairo. Unconfirmed reports of very bad situation in Suez. No longer on the streets.  Will update.

It’s 2am and I am finally back in my hotel.  It’s been an extraordinary day.  Tens of thousands of Egyptians—perhaps more—took to the streets across the country to demand change.  Even the “Red Sea Riviera” was not spared the anger of Egyptians who are fed up with the brutality and lies of the regime.   Read more »

Cairo – Well, today was the big day…January 25th…National Police Day…and Egypt’s Day of Rage.

It began for me at 230am when I was wandering back to my hotel from Bab el Luq. 

I found myself on Falaky Street near the Interior Ministry.  It was already flooded with police.  Read more »

Tunisian army soldier stands in front of the headquarters of the Constitutional Democratic Rally party of ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali during a demonstration in Tunis on January 20, 2011 (Zohra Bensemra/Courtesy Reuters)

Hi folks,

Below is my article on Tunisia that is now up on Foreign Policy. Enjoy.

Aren’t Middle Eastern militaries supposed to crack down and kick butt? Aren’t they supposed to be the “backbone” of regimes? The guarantors of last resort? The ultimate instrument of political control? Read any account of civil-military relations and the Middle East — including my own — and the answers to these questions are a resounding yes. So when the Tunisian armed forces, allegedly at the command of General Rashid Ammar, told Tunisian President Zine Abidine Ben Ali that the military would not shoot protesters demanding the strongman’s ouster and then pushed him from power, the commanders were clearly not playing to type. The role that the military has played in the Tunisian uprising thus far is intriguing and as Tunisia grapples with phase two of the post-Ben Ali era, what the military does (and doesn’t do) will be critical in the country’s political trajectory.

Read more »

A man embraces a soldier as protesters walk past soldiers while shouting slogans during a demonstration against Tunisian President Ben Ali in Tunis (STR New/Courtesy Reuters)

Update: Hats off to those who saw the unraveling of Ben Ali’s regime coming.  The army moved in today and Ben Ali is no longer in control.  This is good, but only the first phase.  Best that I can tell from Washington, it seems that the military command has understood the demands from Tunisian society.  What they do now is crucial.  I know that the best way to support democracy is to support democracy, but in a way, the military’s intervention (and the way the officers intervened), may yet set the stage for a democratic Tunisia.

Read more »