MER Article Police Impunity in Imbaba A string of tiny lights bows from the awning of the Star of Freedom café across an unpaved plaza to the globe of the municipal lamppost, whose light the government has not turned on in years. Tabletops of tea and dominoes spread from the café’s cramped interior and fill the horseshoe-shaped plaza, r Matthew Hall • 19 min read
MER Article Why the Egyptian Army Didn't Shoot The armed forces were a central part of the Egyptian regime from 1952 onward. They supplied the Free Officers who toppled the monarchy and replaced it with a republican order. All four presidents of the era hailed from the military’s ranks. The army was known to control a large economic empire, and Hicham Bou Nassif • 9 min read
MER Article The Writing on the Walls of Egypt Whoever has something to say in Egypt these days can write it on a wall. Ahmad loves Rasha; the revolution continues; build unity between Christians and Muslims; make Egypt an Islamic state. Private garage, no parking; we are all Egyptians; don’t forget the martyrs of the revolution; apply for a job Samuli Schielke, Jessica Winegar • 5 min read
MER Article Establishment Mursi On June 29, 12 days after he was elected president of Egypt, Muhammad Mursi ascended a Tahrir Square stage and issued a dramatic pledge to guard the revolution launched there the preceding spring. Mursi opened his jacket, revealing that he wore no bulletproof vest, thumped his chest and yelled, “I f Joshua Stacher • 6 min read
MER Article Reflections on Two Revolutions Interpreting a revolutionary event is a contentious undertaking. Why it began, how it unfolded, to whom its legacy belongs -- these are questions of enduring debate. The mass protests in Egypt that deposed Husni Mubarak and continued for months in 2011-2012 still generate divergent narratives and co Ahmad Shokr • 26 min read
MER Article From the Editor (Winter 2012) The course of the Egyptian uprising offers reason for both optimism and pessimism. On the down side, the post-Mubarak system, such as it is, exhibits plenty of characteristics of the old one. As Ahmad Shokr and Joshua Stacher detail in this issue, Egypt’s new civilian government, drawn from the ran The Editors • 2 min read
