The Egyptian military has begun operations to set up a 500meter wide and 10kilometre long buffer zone on its border with Gaza. Bulldozers have knocked down some of the houses in the area but residents are complaining that they have neither received eviction notices nor compensations. According to sources, the operation is aimed at reducing […]
Tag: Egypt
Egypt: Tourism Minister declares it is safe
Egypt is trying to lure tourists back into the country; a week after the clashes between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the army left hundreds of people dead. Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said the situation is improving with time and gave assurances that there are no dangers in the main tourism areas. He urged […]
Egypt: “Friday of martyrs” to test Brotherhood’s strength
Violence in Egypt can reach new heights as pro-Morsi supporters prepare to hold “Friday of martyrs” demonstrations. The march will be in honor of the hundreds of people who have lost their lives in the standoff against the military. The leaders of the previous demonstrations are from the Muslim Brotherhood. Most of them have been […]
After the ‘Arab Spring’: Winter is Underway for Religious Minorities in the MENA Region
No one can deny that Arab dictatorships have protected religious minorities across the Middle East and North Africa region for decades as a result of tactical decisions meant to win the political backing of Western powers and the financial support of funding agencies. The nomination of Jewish and Christian leaders to cabinet posts in many […]
Is Algeria the Odd One Out in the Arab Spring?
In many ways, it appears as if Algeria is weathering the Arab Spring fairly well. Despite its sheer size, it has dodged the cycle of demonstrations and upheaval, even though the Arab Spring started right in the next door Tunisia. Its long-term president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has maintained a façade of democracy, though his tenure has […]
Washington Cancels Military Drills amidst Mounting Criticism of U.S. Stand on Egypt
While more and more voices, including those of Congressmen and editorialists, are criticizing the Obama Administration’s stand on the crisis in Egypt and denouncing as incoherent its foreign policy, President Barack Obama announced that the United States is cancelling its biennial joint military exercise with Egypt, initially scheduled for September. “While we want to sustain […]
Egypt: Generals Against Brothers
After weeks of procrastination, hesitation and standoff between the Egyptian interim government and supporters of the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, ousted by Gen. El Sissi, the security forces moved in to break up sit-ins and protest camps set up in Cairo by Muslim Brotherhood supporters demanding Morsi return to power. But the hardline move by […]
Egypt: EGPC to convert petroleum debts into bonds
Authorities overseeing the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) are considering the conversion of their debts of more than $5 billion into bonds. The idea came as proposals and discussions with the Egyptian Central Bank to scrutinize it have resulted in a positive outcome. These debts are owed to foreign oil companies operating in the country. […]
Egypt: New government says no to taxation
Egypt’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Ahmed Galal, has declared that the government will increase its spending or at least maintain it without increasing taxes or imposing new ones. He claimed the government has “multiple resources” to support its budget. Morsi’s government tried to reduce public spending as requirements for a loan from the International Monetary […]
After Western Interventions, North African Countries Still Face Many Challenges…
Many North African and Middle Eastern countries are in a state of great uncertainty. The struggles and revolutions of the Arab Spring struck down many oppressive governments, but violence has spread beyond North Africa and given way to insecurity in many states that were beyond the epicentre of the events – and these conflicts are […]









