Africa
Africa
Fair Observer provides insightful and informed analysis of important issues, events and trends on the African continent.
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Muslim Brotherhood / Politics / Middle East / AfricaBy Iman BibarsAs political unrest increases in Egypt, Iman Bibars gives a personal account of recent events. Open any international newspaper of late and you will read a misleading, watered-down version of the truth. "Muslim Brotherhood supporters clash with protestors, Morsi’s backers and rivals battle in streets of Cairo, Egypt descends further into political turmoil – these are all spins on what is really happening here." The truth is uglier and more unsettling. This is not about two factions battling each other. This is about a well organized and devious militant militia, with members that carry pictures of al-Qaida and Bin Laden, who recently went to disrupt a peaceful protest...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Israel / Morsi / Politics / Middle East / AfricaBy Mina MonirEl-Baradei’s recent interview with Der Spiegel has caused heated debates among Egyptians regarding the Holocaust. Mina Monir argues that the West and Israel should prepare themselves for a new political scenario in a nation that was once the largest Western ally in the Middle East. As Egypt sinks deeper into political instability, the question over the historicity of the Holocaust was recently brought to the fore in a strange yet unsurprising manner. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammed El-Baradei expressed his deep concerns. These were namely regarding the radical...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Muslim Brotherhood / Politics / Middle East / AfricaThe political unrest in Egypt over President Morsi's decree has significantly polarized the country even further. Egypt, as an abstract concept, is often associated with the ancient, and with riddles. So here is an ancient riddle to ask of Egypt: does objectivity exist? Perhaps we can make the following points without much controversy. Egypt had a revolution against a military dictatorship in January-February of 2011. This military dictatorship stacked Egypt’s judiciary, army, state security services, and professional associations with loyalists, making up what political scientists refer to as the “deep state.” The army, under the auspices of the Supreme Council of the...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Muslim Brotherhood / Politics / Middle East / AfricaBy Omar FarahatThe widespread protests triggered by Morsi's recent decisions are symptomatic of profound distrust that characterizes the relationship between different segments of Egyptian society. On November 22 2012, Mohammed Morsi issued a constitutional declaration that he described as “revolutionary”, granting the constitutional assembly additional time to complete the drafting job, prohibiting the dissolution of the one remaining branch of parliament, and granting his own immunity from judicial scrutiny. Minutes later, protesters stormed into Tahrir Square and other public places in Egypt, and several of the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters were attacked. Major courts...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Gaza / Hamas / Israel / Palestine / Politics / Middle East / AfricaBy Gabriel RomThe Sinai Peninsula has exploded with violence in recent months. Cooperation between Egypt and Israel seems unlikely even though it works in both nations' short-term interest. On August 16, 2012, militants from Palestine, Egypt, Yemen and beyond, disguised as Bedouins, raided an Egyptian army base in the town of Rafah on the Israeli-Egyptian border. Sixteen Egyptian soldiers were killed and 2 armored personnel vehicles were stolen. The militants, many of whom were reported to be wearing suicide vests, then entered Israel where they were killed by the Israeli army. The Egyptian government was humiliated, the Israelis were put on high alert, and the Rafah checkpoint, the only opening for...
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360° Analysis / Beer / Democracy / Infographic / Politics / United States / Wine / Europe / BRIC / Arts & Culture / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / OceaniaBy Fact BlinkOn the coherence of liquor and liberty. Many people know that beer is the world’s third-most popular drink, after water and tea. Fewer are aware, however, of the remarkable correlation between a preference for beer, and a preference for democratic institutions. A coincidence? We are not so sure. A priori, there are strong cognitive associations between the brown brew and rule by the people. After all, more than any other drink, beer is the quintessential beverage of the common man. While wine and cocktails may be instinctively elitist; beer, by nature, is egalitarian. So perhaps it is not so surprising that across the world, beer-drinking countries have granted universal...
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Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / Middle East / Americas / Africa / AsiaFair Observer's five best articles for November. In the northern hemisphere winter has set in. Israel and Palestine are in the news again. In the US, President Obama and the Republicans are battling each other over rival visions of society as the fiscal cliff looms ever closer. China has a new set of leaders who face immense challenges. India is witnessing yet another corruption scandal; this time it involves the son-in-law of the dynasty that has largely ruled the country since 1947. In Europe, unemployment has hit a record high and the continent remains mired in economic crisis. Brazil’s economy is also slowing down to one of its lowest levels of growth in a decade. Clearly,...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Gaza / Hamas / Israel / Politics / Middle East / AfricaWith the rise of Qatar and Turkey as international players, Egypt is eager to re-establish its role at the forefront of regional affairs. As Mohammed Morsi grapples with an unsurprising domestic backlash following a highly controversial presidential decree in which he unilaterally granted himself additional powers, last week Egypt was thrust under the regional spotlight with the recent Gaza conflict. Regional Powers Traditionally, the regional balance of power in the Middle East and North Africa lies with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran, who represents the Shi'a crescent. In recent years and especially as a result of the Arab Uprisings, this regional power balance has begun to shift. No...
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360° Analysis / Egypt / Morsi / Politics / Middle East / AfricaMorsi's presidential decree appears necessary by virtue of an increasingly politicized and non-elected judiciary that appears intent on frustrating the Egyptian president's ambitious reform plans. In August 2012, less than two months after the newly elected Egyptian president was inaugurated, I wrote an article dubbed, “President Morsi’s Huge Task: The Cleansing of the Old Guard”. The piece briefly highlighted the fact that Mohammed Morsi was inheriting the old system of the defunct Hosni Mubarak regime. At the end of the article, I wrote: “Sometimes decadent and deeply infested systems are in need of surgical cleansing to launch a departure into effective...