Meet The New Boss

Egypt court orders Hosni Mubarak freed

"An Egyptian court has ordered the release on bail of former President Hosni Mubarak in a corruption case. Analysts say Mr Mubarak's release - if it happens - would be seen by many as a sign the military is rolling back the changes that flowed from the 2011 uprising. European Union foreign ministers on Wednesday held urgent talks to determine a response to the clampdown. Arms are provided by individual countries rather than the EU as a whole, mostly by Germany, France and Spain. The UK has already suspended some of its military help." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt court orders Hosni Mubarak freed

Muslim Brotherhood faces ban as Egypt rulers pile on pressure

"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood risks political elimination, with the new army-backed government threatening to ban the Islamist organization after launching a fierce crackdown on its supporters that has killed hundreds. Struggling to stamp its authority on Egypt following the ousting last month of President Mohamed Mursi, the country's new rulers have upped the rhetoric, saying the Arab world's most populous nation is at war with terrorism. The crackdown has, however, drawn messages of support from key Arab allies like Saudi Arabia, which have long feared the spread of Brotherhood ideology to the Gulf monarchies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMuslim Brotherhood faces ban as Egypt rulers pile on pressure

The army pulled the trigger, but the West loaded the gun

"To focus on the actions of the security forces alone, on what they did with their trigger fingers yesterday, is to miss the bigger picture; it is to overlook the question of where the military regime got the moral authority to clamp down on its critics so violently in the name of preserving its undemocratic grip on power. It got it from the West, including from so-called Western liberals and human-rights activists. The moral ammunition for yesterday’s massacres was provided by the very politicians and campaigners now crying crocodile tears over the sight of hundreds of dead Egyptians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe army pulled the trigger, but the West loaded the gun

CFR’s Leslie Gelb on Egypt: Hold Your Nose and Back the Junta!

"Long-time foreign policy insider Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, believes democracy is when the guys he likes win. Free elections that produce 'enemies' of the US or Israel are by definition not democratic and the winners should be overthrown by the US and its allies. Gelb is back this weekend, penning a piece as Egypt drowns in blood in the aftermath of the military massacre of supporters of the deposed president Morsi. He warns us against getting bogged down in 'moral posturing about democracy in Egypt' and urges that we 'hold our nose and back Egypt’s military.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCFR’s Leslie Gelb on Egypt: Hold Your Nose and Back the Junta!

Eric Margolis: Storm On The Nile

"So far, army and security police have scored brilliant battlefield victories against unarmed men, women and children, killing and wounding thousands who were demanding a return to democratic government. The latest Cairo protests by supporters of the elected Morsi government have been scattered by gunfire and huge armored bulldozers resembling the giant vehicles used by Israel to smash Palestinian barricades and protesters. All Egyptians opposing the Sisi dictatorship are now officially, 'terrorists.' Egypt’s generals and hard right Mubarakist supporters have ditched any pretense of civilian government and now rely on the bayonet and tank. The men with the guns make the rules." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Storm On The Nile

Egypt’s Tragedy: Military Dictatorship Takes Shape on Nile

"It is as though the February 2011 overthrow never happened. Egypt is caught once again in a conflict that has raged for more than 60 years and has dominated the country since those eight bullets were fired on Nasser on Oct. 26, 1954, in a failed, and perhaps staged, coup attempt. At the time, Nasser banned the Brotherhood and imprisoned its leaders. In the ensuing decades, fear of the Islamists was used to justify the military's authoritarian control and the brutal tactics of the security services. In the end, however, the military created precisely what it had claimed it was preventing: even more radical Islamists." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt’s Tragedy: Military Dictatorship Takes Shape on Nile

Six dead as thousands of Mursi supporters march in Egypt

"Thousands of supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi marched through Cairo and cities across Egypt on Friday to demand his reinstatement, in the movement's biggest show of defiance since hundreds of protesters were killed two weeks ago. The army-backed government, which has shot dead hundreds of supporters of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood since he was toppled by the military on July 3, had warned that forces posted at key intersections since morning would open fire if protests turned violent. The crackdown on Islamists has soured relations between Egypt and Qatar, a wealthy Gulf Arab state and U.S. ally that backed the Brotherhood and gave Egypt $7 billion during Mursi's administration." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSix dead as thousands of Mursi supporters march in Egypt

Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Charged With Inciting Murder

"The authorities, who allege that Mr. Morsi stoked deadly clashes outside his palace in December, did not detail the evidence against him on Sunday. There is no public record of statements he may have made to incite violence. Since Mr. Morsi was deposed on July 3, setting off protest rallies and sit-ins across the country, the authorities have killed more than 1,000 of his supporters and jailed much of the Brotherhood’s senior leadership. The former president himself had been detained without formal charges since his overthrow. The developments on Sunday seemed to close off any chance for an imminent settlement to the standoff between the Islamists of the Brotherhood and the military." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMorsi and Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Charged With Inciting Murder

Egypt expels three Al-Jazeera journalists for biased reporting

"Egypt on Sunday expelled three foreign journalists working as freelancers for Al-Jazeera television’s English channel, the state news agency MENA reported. Correspondent Wayne Haye, a New Zealander, South African cameraman Adil Bradlow and Irish producer Russ Finn were arrested last Tuesday while covering the political crisis in Egypt. Police said they did not have press accreditation. The Qatar-based channel said last week: 'There has also been a campaign against Al-Jazeera, in particular, as the channel’s offices were raided last month and security forces seized equipment which has yet to be returned.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt expels three Al-Jazeera journalists for biased reporting

Egyptian court orders Al Jazeera and other news outlets to close down

"A Cairo court Tuesday ordered the closure of four television channels, including Al-Jazeera Egypt and Ahrar 25, a network belonging to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. The closure comes a day after Islamist broadcaster Al-Hafez was ordered shut following accusations that it was 'inciting hatred' against Coptic Christians and 'undermining national unity'. Tuesday’s order against Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr comes two days after Egyptian authorities expelled three foreign journalists working as freelancers for the Doha-based network’s English-language channel. Egypt’s authorities have accused Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr of bias in its reporting of the coup that ousted Morsi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian court orders Al Jazeera and other news outlets to close down