Nearly one hundred days ago, on 8 December, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), entered the Damascene presidential palace after ‘the butcher’ Bashar al-Assad had fled. …
Jimmy Carter’s Lessons for America in the Middle East
The longest-living president in American history, Jimmy Carter was the first of what has become an inglorious succession of U.S. presidents to have been overwhelmed by events in the Middle …
No Safe Haven: Algeria’s Transnational Repression of Dissidents
For Algerian activists, journalists and human rights defenders, physical borders no longer offer any sanctuary. The growing use of transnational repression by Algeria is a stark example of how authoritarian …
Taking stock of October 7: The view from the Arab world
Over the past twelve months, the Palestinian people have sustained horrifying human, humanitarian, and political casualties, the worst since the Arab defeat of 5 June 1967 and the subsequent occupation …
Is the Palestinian Cause Central to the Arab World?
The date of the Al-Aqsa Flood, 7 October 2023, will be remembered for more than one reason, regardless of the intentions of its masterminds. One reading is that Al-Aqsa laid …
After 7 October: Prospects in the Arab World
Over the two waves of the Arab Spring uprisings, which spanned nearly a decade, the Arab world was unable to find a common middle ground between the ruling elites and …
Immediate release of Alaa Abdel Fattah demanded by over 40 prominent public figures from 14 countries, including intellectuals, writers, filmmakers, and academics
Alaa Abdel-Fattah is a British-Egyptian writer, human rights defender and software developer. He was one of the leading voices and campaigners during the 25 January 2011 revolution. He has been …
No Climate Justice without Human Rights
In Egypt, critical speech or peaceful opposition is effectively criminalized. Protests against widespread corruption and mismanagement are quelled: after the 2019 demonstrations, over 4,300 were detained or forcibly disappeared. Despite …
Prince Charles’ opportunity and obligation, when he meets President Al-Sisi
Prince Charles has been an outspoken advocate for preserving the environment for decades. He will have a great opportunity to champion one of his favourite causes when he meets with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt during a planned visit to the Middle East later this month, beginning in Jordan on 16 November.
A Renewed EU Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood or More of the Same?
In February 2021, the EU adopted “A New Agenda for the Mediterranean”, which claims to present a renewed and mutually-beneficial partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood. The agenda is centred around …
A critique of the Arab Spring elite: What is needed is a cultural revolution, not another uprising
“When the history of the January 25 revolution is written, it will be described as a revolution that cared more about cleaning up Tahrir Square than sweeping away the old regime. And in both …
The European Parliament resolution and critical mass for human rights in Egypt
High hopes were raised by the European Parliament’s 18 December resolution on the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt. The exceptional recommendations contained in the resolution reinforce hope for improvement …
Al-Sisi’s Egypt is a force of instability and insecurity in the region: France must end its complicity
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to Paris comes amid the worst crackdown on freedoms in modern Egyptian history. The recent arrest of three members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal …
Trump’s defeat shocked Sisi.. How he intends to survive the Biden era is not clear
While Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election could have been anticipated, it has caused a shock in Egyptian President Abdelfatah al-Sisi’s circles. Egyptian regime media covered the US election …
I escaped Sisi’s jails, but thousands of others haven’t been as lucky
“I consider myself lucky” I told the 33rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2016, when an Egyptian court ordered the freezing of my assets. Two years earlier I …