MER Article The Plight of Egypt's Political Prisoners On December 2, 2013, Mahienour al-Massry organized a protest on the corniche running along the Mediterranean seafront in Alexandria, Egypt’s second city. The human rights attorney’s raven ponytail and oversized black glasses made her easy to spot amid the dozens of people with their backs turned to Nadeen Shaker • 14 min read
MER Article Dissidence and Deference Among Egyptian Judges After the coup of July 3, 2013, judges in Egypt repeatedly shocked polite world opinion. In hasty proceedings held in police facilities, in the absence of defense attorneys, courts passed down sentences of death and life imprisonment for thousands of supporters of the ousted Muhammad Mursi, Egypt’s Mona El-Ghobashy • 24 min read
MER Article Shenker, The Egyptians Jack Shenker, The Egyptians: A Radical Story (London: Penguin, 2016). Jack Shenker’s book is the definitive account of the 2011 Egyptian uprising to date. Many scholars and journalists have taken as their point of departure the notion that the uprising was a one-off democratizing experiment that failed. With his Joshua Stacher • 2 min read
Current Analysis Suspend US Military Aid to Egypt Scholars of the Egypt and the Middle East call on President Obama to stop the longstanding US support for Egypt's undemocratic military regime. (Author not identified) • 3 min read
Current Analysis Your Tax Dollars Enable Police Brutality Abroad Ever since the Black Lives Matter movement exploded into the headlines, violence by American police officers has come under fire from activists and ordinary citizens alike. Less discussed, however, is how the US government winks at the police brutality of its client states abroad. The military gove Chris Toensing • 2 min read
Current Analysis Egypt Running on Empty An authoritarian regime may be unpopular, even loathed, but at least it has rules. The rules may bear little resemblance to the law, but relations between state officials and society come to have a predictable rhythm. People understand where the red lines are, and they can choose to stay within them Joshua Stacher • 16 min read
Current Analysis Defending Academic Freedom Constraints on academic freedom or violations of it are not new in the Middle East and North Africa. Indeed, while there is certainly variation among the countries of the region, regime attempts to control what is studied, how it is studied, and what faculty and students may do and say both on and o Laurie A. Brand • 3 min read
Current Analysis The Top MERIP Articles About Egypt Last week marked the passage of five years since Husni Mubarak was compelled to resign as president of Egypt by the enormous uprising centered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Around the anniversary, we asked some friends and colleagues who have written on Egypt to list their favorite MERIP articles about The Editors • 3 min read
Current Analysis Scholars of Egypt Protest Crackdown on Freedom of Expression November 18, 2015 President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Arab Republic of Egypt Ahmed al-Zind Minister of Justice, Arab Republic of Egypt Sedky Sobhy Minister of Defense, Arab Republic of Egypt Yasser Reda Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States (Author not identified) • 6 min read
Current Analysis Release Hossam Bahgat UPDATE: Hossam Bahgat was released from detention [http://www.madamasr.com/news/update-hossam-bahgat-has-been-released-not-clear-if-charges-still-pending] at midday Cairo time on November 10. It is uncertain whether the charges against him are still pending. We will post further updates as warranted The Editors • 2 min read
Current Analysis Hope Canal A truck cruising down Qasr al-‘Ayni Street dressed as a blue papier-mâché boat. A belly dancer clad in a silver lycra dress and a blonde wig, upper body undulating out of the window of a white sedan. Tahrir Square, lit up like a local wedding, crowded with thousands, their faces painted red, white a Heba Gowayed, Mona Oraby • 5 min read
Current Analysis Sisi and Suez On July 26, 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. With this action, the young Egyptian president was catapulted to world prominence as a recognized leader of the Arab nationalist and Non-Aligned movements of the time. The nationalization secured for Nasser a reputation for resolute a Timothy Kaldas • 3 min read
