Top Tags

Tag Arab Spring

Entries 3 Total

Of Bang and Bucks: Sponsors of the Proxy War in Syria

Apr 13, 12 8:37 AM

By Noora AlSindi

The Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, is once again promising to put an end to the violence in Syria after over a year of bloodshed that has killed more than 9,000 civilians. This comes as part of his acceptance of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan. While the plan calls for a number of humanitarian demands, it leaves out the obvious request for Assad’s final departure. Bashar’s brutal crackdown in the past year makes it difficult to believe his regime will be thoroughly honoring its obligations.

Continue Reading… Leave a Comment

Post Arab Spring Islam: A Political Reality

Jan 30, 12 12:19 PM

By  Amir Fouad

Just another Mubarak? Hussein Tantawi (right), head of the ruling military council.

Despite the negative connotation of the name Mubarak derived on account of the recently-ousted and very much despised former president of Egypt, the word “mubarak” in Arabic (lit: “blessed”) is otherwise ubiquitously used in Egypt and throughout the Muslim world in the most joyous of contexts. It is most often heard in conjunction with holidays and holy months – i.e. “Ramadan Mubarak” – and its grammatical cousin “mabrook” is wielded whenever congratulations are in order. During Ramadan last August, Egyptians muttered a phrase that at once characterized their growing cynicism of post-revolution stagnation as well as their enduring sense of humor during difficult times: “Ramadan Tantawi” they said, in reference to Hussein Tantawi, the much maligned head of the ruling military council.

Continue Reading… Leave a Comment

Deconstructing the Arab Spring at Brookings

Oct 3, 11 1:22 PM

By Amir Fouad

It wasn’t so long ago that the Arab Spring was the topic du jour on everyone’s mind. Back in February, the popular demonstrations throughout the Middle East and North Africa that sent a barrage of moving images to our TV sets and newsfeeds were as inspiring as they were surprising. More than anything, it was the uplifting fight for democracy and personal freedom that stole the hearts of the international community and eventually gained the support of an initially hesitant and equivocal United States government.

However, as spring has given way to summer and now fall, many have moved on to the next item in the 24-hour news cycle, while those in the Arab World are left with picking up the pieces of their fragile countries and economies. Against this backdrop, the Global Economy and Development division at the Brookings Institution hosted a symposium on September 23rd in Washington, DC addressing this very topic. Over the course of the event, the intersection of politics and economics – and indeed the rightful balance between the two – emerged as a recurring topic of interest and debate.

Continue Reading… Leave a Comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 32 other followers