Politics

Maritime fault lines: Libya’s gas diplomacy tests Egypt-Turkey thaw

Politics_

Libya’s maritime dispute with Turkey resurfaces as Egypt and Greece push back. Cairo eyes energy dominance, while Tripoli navigates fragile alliances and legal dilemmas.

Ahmed Albordeny_ 22-12-2025

Maritime fault lines: Libya’s gas diplomacy tests Egypt-Turkey thaw

Ghassan Al-Dahini and the recycling of chaos in Gaza

Politics_

From jihadist to Israeli-backed militia leader, Al-Dahini’s rise exposes a risky “day after” gamble—recycling extremism into local proxies that could drag Gaza into civil war.

Yousef Okail_ 18-12-2025

Ghassan Al-Dahini and the recycling of chaos in Gaza

A Year Without Assad| A new Middle East begins in Damascus

Politics_

One year on from Assad’s fall, Syria’s upheaval is reshaping the region. From Ankara to Tel Aviv and Washington to Tehran, Damascus has become the hinge of a new political order.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 14-12-2025

A Year Without Assad| A new Middle East begins in Damascus

Basma Moussa: A Baha'i woman against all forms of oppression

Politics_

A Baha'i who faced lifelong discrimination, Basma Moussa quietly challenged Egypt’s institutions and exposed the limits of belonging.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 11-12-2025

Basma Moussa: A Baha'i woman against all forms of oppression

A Year Without Assad| The metamorphosis of a jihadist

Politics_

A year after Assad’s fall, Ahmad Al-Sharaa—formerly the jihadist Al-Joulani—represents the defeat and cooption of political Islam to serve the agendas of regional players

Amr Adly_ 10-12-2025

A Year Without Assad| The metamorphosis of a jihadist

How voters’ ballots evaporated after the president’s veto

Politics_

After the president’s veto, rerun elections in Imbaba and other constituencies slashed vote totals, lifted independents, and exposed how engineered results can suddenly unravel.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 10-12-2025

How voters’ ballots evaporated after the president’s veto

A Year Without Assad| Damascus and Cairo in the shadow of Al-Sharaa’s uneasy rise

Politics_

As Syria reshapes itself under Al-Sharaa, Cairo watches with wary restraint. A year after Assad’s fall, old fears, new alliances, and shifting power define a fragile region

Ahmed Albordeny_ 9-12-2025

A Year Without Assad| Damascus and Cairo in the shadow of Al-Sharaa’s uneasy rise

Engineered Collapse: The final effort to polish Egypt’s parliamentary vote fails

Politics_

Annulled districts, clashing narratives, and rare court rulings expose fractures in the political engineering behind Egypt’s 2025 parliament and raise doubts over its legitimacy.

Mohamed Napolion_ 4-12-2025

Engineered Collapse: The final effort to polish Egypt’s parliamentary vote fails

Water workers raise their voices, but is the state listening?

Politics_

Cairo drinking water workers lead rare, organized protests over wages, delayed bonuses, and job insecurity, exposing how austerity and soaring prices are eroding daily life.

Ahmed Khalifa_ 1-12-2025

Water workers raise their voices, but is the state listening?

The Empire's Vizier: Epstein and the new Middle East

Politics_

Long after his death, Epstein’s shadow lingers—across war zones, intelligence corridors, and tech firms carving and re-molding today’s Middle East.

Nihal Salama_ 27-11-2025

The Empire's Vizier: Epstein and the new Middle East

Election rigged by bribery, no matter the president’s shout

Politics_

Widespread vote buying, staged crowds and voter steering marked Egypt’s second election phase, defying the president’s call for cleaner voting and repeating phase one’s violations.

Mohamed Napolion_ 25-11-2025

Election rigged by bribery, no matter the president’s shout

Parliamentary elections with a local-council flavor

Politics_

Campaigns focus on services over legislation, reflecting weak competition, muted opposition, and voter frustration amid rising living costs.

Ahmed Albordeny_ 24-11-2025

Parliamentary elections with a local-council flavor

Who’s to Blame? Election fallout sparks rare public rift inside Egypt’s judiciary

Politics_

On the eve of the second round, Egypt’s judicial “family” is locked in a public feud over who supervised and who is to blame for the troubled first phase of the elections.

Mohamed Napolion_ 24-11-2025

Who’s to Blame? Election fallout sparks rare public rift inside Egypt’s judiciary

Britain's 'Core Protection': A temporary visa in asylum limbo

Politics_

UK unveils sweeping asylum overhaul—temporary protection and tougher removals for all refugees, with Arab and Egyptian claimants among those most affected.

Raphael Isaac_ 23-11-2025

Britain's 'Core Protection': A temporary visa in asylum limbo

2025 elections: What next after the president’s seismic intervention?

Politics_

Presidential intervention upends engineered elections, voiding 19 districts and reshaping expectations for the second phase.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 23-11-2025

2025 elections: What next after the president’s seismic intervention?

The Gulf’s moment is Saudi

Politics_

Saudi Arabia, not Qatar or the UAE, is best placed to turn today’s “Gulf moment” into lasting regional power, from Gaza diplomacy to economic weight.

Amr Adly_ 20-11-2025

The Gulf’s moment is Saudi

Déjà vu in Egypt’s parliamentary elections

Politics_

Election day for first phase of House vote echoed the Senate: empty polls, staged crowds, widespread violations, and rampant vote buying shaping a tightly controlled process.

Mohamed Napolion_ 11-11-2025

Déjà vu in Egypt’s parliamentary elections

The Talgo train deal: Not quite out of love for the President

Politics_

A Spanish train deal hailed as a presidential favor hides conflicting figures and missing costs—raising questions about transparency in Egypt’s 158 million euro Talgo contract.

رحاب عليوة_ 10-11-2025

The Talgo train deal: Not quite out of love for the President

El-Sisi's last parliament?

Politics_

Analysts see Egypt’s new parliament—elected without real competition—as a potential step toward scrapping presidential term limits and extending El-Sisi’s rule.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 9-11-2025

El-Sisi's last parliament?

Mamdani wins New York: A mayor who won’t apologize for being radical

Politics_

Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Muslim democratic socialist, reshapes New York politics with a radical agenda challenging party and corporate power.

Mohamed Gad_ 6-11-2025

Mamdani wins New York: A mayor who won’t apologize for being radical

Law on Trial: UNRWA, ICJ, and Israel's politics of defiance

Politics_

As Israel blocks aid and defies the ICJ, the Court’s ruling is clear: UNRWA is indispensable, and Israel’s legal obligations are no longer open to negotiation.

Nourhan Fahmy_ 6-11-2025

Law on Trial: UNRWA, ICJ, and Israel's politics of defiance

Nazism, exile, and touchscreens: In Cairo with freed Palestinian prisoners

Politics_

Freed Palestinian prisoners speak of torture, exile, and guilt amid Israel’s war on Gaza, torn between haunting memories and unbroken defiance.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 3-11-2025

Nazism, exile, and touchscreens: In Cairo with freed Palestinian prisoners

Britain’s Gaza paradox: Diplomacy in the shadow of death

Politics_

After a Gaza ceasefire, Britain’s ‘recognition’ of Palestine exposes deep hypocrisy: mass protests, arms sales, and intelligence support show UK complicity it still denies.

Cara Burdon_ 23-10-2025

Britain’s Gaza paradox: Diplomacy in the shadow of death

Gaza on life support under Israeli control

Politics_

Gaza struggles for survival under Israeli control as a fragile cease-fire continues, revealing destruction, displacement, and the fight to rebuild amid occupation.

Salem Elrayyes_ 20-10-2025

Gaza on life support under Israeli control

‘We Don’t Want the World Cup’​​​​​​​: Morocco’s Gen Z protests

Politics_

After eight childbirth deaths, Morocco’s #GenZ212 rallies nationwide, denouncing corruption and World Cup spending, demanding healthcare, dignity and accountability.

Yousef Okail_ 19-10-2025

‘We Don’t Want the World Cup’​​​​​​​: Morocco’s Gen Z protests

Question of the century: Does Trump's plan jeopardize the Palestinian cause?

Politics_

Trump’s Gaza plan sparks debate over vague promises, shifting power, and uncertain “real-power guarantees” meant to protect inalienable Palestinian rights and prevent renewed war.

Mohamed Bassal_ 16-10-2025

Question of the century: Does Trump's plan jeopardize the Palestinian cause?

Parliament Diaries| 2025 House elections, reconfiguring power

Politics_

Egypt's 2025 House elections signal a shake-up: veteran MPs sidelined, opposition gains space, and ex-ministers return in a tightly managed political recalibration.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 15-10-2025

Parliament Diaries| 2025 House elections, reconfiguring power

Gaza’s gamble: The price of making the world watch

Politics_

Two years after Oct. 7, Gaza endures vast losses as Israel faces growing isolation. Legal pressure builds, but repeated US vetoes blunt accountability and delay a ceasefire.

Ahmed Albordeny_ 7-10-2025

Gaza’s gamble: The price of making the world watch

Raphael Cohen: The translator who chose to stand on the line of fire

Politics_

Cohen's whole life has been a refusal of easy binaries—Jew or Arab, East or West, translator or activist. He carries all those identities within him, refusing to be boxed in one.

Dina Samak_ 6-10-2025

Raphael Cohen: The translator who chose to stand on the line of fire

Interview| Basel Ramsis on Gaza, the flotilla, and a journey cut short

Politics_

Forced off the Freedom Flotilla through accidental injury, filmmaker Basel Ramsis recounts the “senseless coincidence,” the trauma of leaving, and why Gaza must remain the hero.

Hoda Fayek_ 3-10-2025

Interview| Basel Ramsis on Gaza, the flotilla, and a journey cut short

Barrack forecasts a new Middle East: No more 'lines in the sand'

Politics_

Barrack invokes Sykes-Picot not to condemn colonialism, but to suggest maps can be redrawn again to by American power. This time explicitly with 'no guarantees.'

Mohamed Bassal_ 2-10-2025

Barrack forecasts a new Middle East: No more 'lines in the sand'

Because Trump’s plan for Gaza is the only available option

Politics_

Trump’s Gaza plan gains quick international backing, but experts warn it imposes victor’s terms, deepens Gaza-West Bank divide, and avoids statehood.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 2-10-2025

Because Trump’s plan for Gaza is the only available option

Tony Blair and the quest for redemption in the Middle East

Politics_

Tony Blair after Cool Britannia, the Iraq war, and Quartet envoy is tipped to lead Gaza’s new “Board of Peace.” Can he offer and find redemption—or repeat old failures?

Raphael Isaac_ 1-10-2025

Tony Blair and the quest for redemption in the Middle East

The House of Representatives 2025 with a 2015 flavor

Politics_

Egypt’s 2025 House race revives echoes of 2015: party feuds, money-driven nominations, and a fragile balance between pro-government blocs and the opposition.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 25-9-2025

The House of Representatives 2025 with a 2015 flavor

Israel eyes 'alternative homeland' for Palestinians; Egypt says no

Politics_

As Israel seeks to displace Gaza’s population abroad, Egypt wages a quiet but determined diplomatic battle—blocking deals, swaying capitals, and drawing a line in the sand.

Ahmed Albordeny_ 21-9-2025

Israel eyes 'alternative homeland' for Palestinians; Egypt says no

Interview| Jeremy Corbyn: The European left failed Palestine historically

Politics_

Jeremy Corbyn called upon the left in the Global North to show some humility and be willing to learn from the experiences of the South.

Osama Diab_ 21-9-2025

Interview| Jeremy Corbyn: The European left failed Palestine historically

Interview| Alex de Waal exposes Israel’s weaponized starvation in Gaza

Politics_

Starvation in Gaza is no accident, says Alex de Waal. It is an Israeli policy weaponizing hunger, unlike any famine he has studied before.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 18-9-2025

Interview| Alex de Waal exposes Israel’s weaponized starvation in Gaza

Interview| Jibril Rajoub: Arab support for the PA is insufficient

Politics_

Rajoub warns Arab support is insufficient, admits PA needs reform, slams Israel’s "crueler Holocaust", and admits Fatah struggle with Hamas is a fight over power.

Mohamed Khayyal_ 17-9-2025

Interview| Jibril Rajoub: Arab support for the PA is insufficient

Ethiopia’s GERD inauguration tests the fragile future of the Nile

Politics_

Ethiopia inaugurates the Nile’s giant dam after 13 years of failed talks. Addis hails progress, Cairo warns of threat. Will the project spark cooperation or conflict?

Mohamed Soliman_ 11-9-2025

Ethiopia’s GERD inauguration tests the fragile future of the Nile

FM Abdelatty, a police sergeant or a diplomat?

Politics_

Egypt’s foreign minister blurs the line between diplomat and enforcer, sparking scandal over protests outside Egypt’s embassies and tarnishing the country’s global image.

Khaled Dawoud_ 6-9-2025

FM Abdelatty, a police sergeant or a diplomat?

World media shrouds in black for Gaza journalists

Politics_

Now, as the blackout fades from screens and front pages, what remains is a resounding call for accountability.

Nihal Salama_ 2-9-2025

World media shrouds in black for Gaza journalists

‘Madame Afaf’ in a PR campaign at Rafah

Politics_

Egypt’s PR campaign may have succeeded in shifting blame, but it has failed to bring food or peace to Palestinians in Gaza—or to grant Egyptian media the right to investigate.

Mohamed Ali El-Sohagy_ 2-9-2025

‘Madame Afaf’ in a PR campaign at Rafah

Interview| Al-Nunu on disarming Hamas: ‘Every Palestinian home has a Kalashnikov or a pistol’

Politics_

As Gaza’s future hangs in the balance, Hamas official opens up about the state of ceasefire talks, the fate of the resistance's weapons, and the desperate search for an end to war.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 28-8-2025

Interview| Al-Nunu on disarming Hamas: ‘Every Palestinian home has a Kalashnikov or a pistol’

Senate election results, a right-loyal stitch up

Politics_

With opposition wiped out and turnout low, Egypt’s Senate elections tighten the grip of government-aligned parties through coordination, cash, and closed lists.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 14-8-2025

Senate election results, a right-loyal stitch up

Which Civil Society monitors elections in Egypt

Politics_

An investigation into 2025 Senate vote reveals a roster of “watchdogs” with fake titles, phantom organizations, and no record of monitoring, yet all were approved by the state.

Yousef Okail_ 13-8-2025

Which Civil Society monitors elections in Egypt

Negotiate and wait: Egypt’s limited options over Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam

Politics_

Ethiopia completes Renaissance Dam, invites Egypt & Sudan to Sept. opening. Egypt calls it 'nonsense' as water fears grow. Can diplomacy resolve the crisis?

Ahmed Albordeny_ 4-8-2025

Negotiate and wait: Egypt’s limited options over Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam

Iran and the E3: Negotiations on a cliffedge

Politics_

Israel might be compelled to reconsider its position in a newly reshaped regional landscape it may struggle to navigate.

Mohamed Saad Abdel Hafeez_ 3-8-2025

Iran and the E3: Negotiations on a cliffedge

The ‘day after’ is today: What future for Hamas in Gaza’s vacuum?

Politics_

Hamas faces military losses and governance collapse in Gaza as Israel struggles with postwar plans, leaving the Strip in a deepening political and security vacuum.

Loay Hesham_ 2-8-2025

The ‘day after’ is today: What future for Hamas in Gaza’s vacuum?

Ismail Haniyeh: The making and assassination of a statesman in a stateless nation

Politics_

Ismail Haniyeh, a rare unifying leader within Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran one year ago. His life is reviewed here.

Mohamed Khayyal_ 31-7-2025

Ismail Haniyeh: The making and assassination of a statesman in a stateless nation

Conflict of Interest: Senior Health Official leases public asset to his NGO

Politics_

Assistant health minister awards state hospital to his own NGO, raising legal, financial, and ethical concerns over conflict of interest and public healthcare privatization.

Yousef Okail_ 30-7-2025

Conflict of Interest: Senior Health Official leases public asset to his NGO

When the president decides to speak

Politics_

El-Sisi spoke less but said more in 2024—defending his record, warning of collapse, and insisting that the people's patience and massive investment was Egypt’s only path forward.

Yousef Okail_ 29-7-2025

When the president decides to speak

Lawlessness in Gaza: Thieves, gangs, and killers flourish under Israeli occupation

Politics_

With Hamas’ grip unraveling, Gaza faces a surge in crime, vigilante justice, and armed chaos as Israeli strikes dismantle the Strip’s fragile security order.

Salem Elrayyes_ 27-7-2025

Lawlessness in Gaza: Thieves, gangs, and killers flourish under Israeli occupation

Trump, the Nile, and the Zionist dream

Politics_

As Trump returns to the Nile dam file, echoes of a Zionist water dream and regional pressure resurface, leaving Egypt to choose between reaction and initiative.

Mohamed Bassal_ 23-7-2025

Trump, the Nile, and the Zionist dream

Parliament Diaries| Political musical chairs in the upper chamber elections

Politics_

Senate elections echo old rhythms: party quotas, business elites, and political recycling. A quiet contest revealing Egypt’s enduring fusion of money and power.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 22-7-2025

Parliament Diaries| Political musical chairs in the upper chamber elections

Parliament Diaries| The Baccalaureate bill: Recycled reforms in shiny wrapping

Politics_

Behind closed doors, Parliament revived a failed education system—rebranded, repackaged, and passed in a rush. Students will pay the price, even for failing.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 13-7-2025

Parliament Diaries| The Baccalaureate bill: Recycled reforms in shiny wrapping

Parliament Diaries| Accountability offline as Ramses blaze paralyzes Egypt

Politics_

A fire torched Egypt’s digital backbone. Ministers blamed pipes. MPs asked questions no one answered. The system failed—again—and no one, as usual, will be held accountable.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 10-7-2025

Parliament Diaries| Accountability offline as Ramses blaze paralyzes Egypt

Parliament Diaries| Old Rent Law: How the No vote turned into a Yes

Politics_

Three sessions, one law, and a dramatic arc: Parliament wavers, tenants hope, opposition walks out, and a bill passes, clouded by silence, surrender, and unanswered questions.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 6-7-2025

Parliament Diaries| Old Rent Law: How the No vote turned into a Yes

Trump–Netanyahu’s Gaza plan breaks Palestinian taboos

Politics_

Trump and Netanyahu seek to end the war with a deal built on exile, erasure, and power games—but Gaza’s reality, and resistance, refuse to fit the script.

Mohamed Saad Abdel Hafeez_ 2-7-2025

Trump–Netanyahu’s Gaza plan breaks Palestinian taboos

Parliament Diaries| A nation lost to lack of accountability

Politics_

18 girls died on Egypt’s regional highway. Parliament held a moment of silence, then moved on. This is a record of what should not be forgotten.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 2-7-2025

Parliament Diaries| A nation lost to lack of accountability

Kamel Al-Wazir: El-Sisi’s golden child

Politics_

From rail hikes to megaprojects, Kamel Al-Wazir embodies the president’s “nothing comes for free” ethos—turning public transport into a revenue machine

Mohamed El Kholy_ 1-7-2025

Kamel Al-Wazir: El-Sisi’s golden child

From Iraq 1981 to Iran 2025: How the Begin Doctrine disciplines the world

Politics_

How Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq shaped a doctrine of preemptive war—one echoed today in its attacks on Iran, with US backing and regional consequences.

Mohamed Bassal_ 26-6-2025

From Iraq 1981 to Iran 2025: How the Begin Doctrine disciplines the world

Parliament Diaries| Between war and debt, a national budget of uncertainty

Politics_

Amid war and economic strain, Egypt's Parliament approved a new "uncertainty budget." Critics flagged debt & weak revenue, while the majority urged unity.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 23-6-2025

Parliament Diaries| Between war and debt, a national budget of uncertainty

A price tag on Justice: Egypt's lawyers battle new court fees

Politics_

Lawyers warn that rising court fees threaten Egyptians’ right to justice—and their own livelihoods—as access to litigation looks to become increasingly unaffordable.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 23-6-2025

A price tag on Justice: Egypt's lawyers battle new court fees

Nasser after the Naksa: ‘It was the system’s fault’

Politics_

After the 1967 defeat, Nasser condemned his own regime as rotten and called for an open system—but his bold vision gave way to retreat, not reform.

Yousef Okail_ 21-6-2025

Nasser after the Naksa: ‘It was the system’s fault’

Parliament Diaries| Everyone loses as rent law passes unchanged

Politics_

Caught between landlords demanding swift contract termination and tenants fearing eviction, Parliament passes a rent law that satisfies neither and deepens the divide.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 19-6-2025

Parliament Diaries| Everyone loses as rent law passes unchanged

Redrawing the lines: How the Iran-Israel war is reshaping regional power

Politics_

The Iran-Israel war signals a seismic shift in Middle East power dynamics, testing old alliances and opening new diplomatic paths amid escalating military and nuclear tensions.

Mohamed Khayyal_ 18-6-2025

Redrawing the lines: How the Iran-Israel war is reshaping regional power

Sovereignty or submission: Can the Middle East resist Israel’s new order?

Politics_

Israel no longer seeks coexistence; it seeks control. A new doctrine of domination unfolds, and the Middle East must now decide: surrender to tutelage, or resist extinction.

Mohamed Saad Abdel Hafeez_ 16-6-2025

Sovereignty or submission: Can the Middle East resist Israel’s new order?

By land, sea, and air: Foreign elements or supporters of Gaza

Politics_

Global March to Gaza activists face arrest, blocked convoys, and deportation in Egypt amid a widening crackdown on routes to Gaza.

Nora Younis_ 15-6-2025

By land, sea, and air: Foreign elements or supporters of Gaza

Missing in Sinai: Egypt’s forgotten soldiers of 1967

Politics_

As Egypt uncovers its missing soldiers, evidence mounts of Israeli war crimes in 1967. Massacres, mass graves, and decades of silence with no justice in sight.

Mohamed El Kholy_ 5-6-2025

Missing in Sinai: Egypt’s forgotten soldiers of 1967

Parliament Diaries| A missed storm warning, and a Parliament fast asleep

Politics_

After a violent storm hit Alexandria, Egypt’s Parliament stayed silent while the Senate responded by chance, raising urgent questions about climate readiness and political will.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 4-6-2025

Parliament Diaries| A missed storm warning, and a Parliament fast asleep

Interview| Ahmed Tantawy navigating the future amid years of political deprivation

Politics_

Fresh from prison, Ahmed Tantawy reflects on his year-long detention, political rights ban, and hopes for reform—from prison conditions to Egypt’s democratic future.

Mohamed Napolion_ 29-5-2025

Interview| Ahmed Tantawy navigating the future amid years of political deprivation

Parliament Diaries| In loud times, water reform trickles in silence

Politics_

Parliament passed a pivotal water utility law with minimal debate, as electoral and rent law battles took center stage, exposing deeper crises in political priorities.

Safaa Essam Eddin_ 29-5-2025

Parliament Diaries| In loud times, water reform trickles in silence