The initial reaction of the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party to the high court decision dissolving parliament had been acquiescence. On Sunday, they got a bit more active, arguing that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) did not have the right to dissolve parliament despite the court […]
Archives for June 2012
Is the secret war in Yemen and Somalia secret no longer? (Woods)
Chris Woods writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism In what is being viewed by some as a significant move towards greater transparency, President Obama has officially acknowledged for the first time previously secret US military combat operations in Yemen and Somalia. The US military has been mounting aggressive combat operations in both countries for […]
On the Right Way to Vote (W. C. Fields Poster)
Egypt: An Election within a Coup within a Coup
Arab satellite television is showing lines of Egyptian voters at polling stations on Saturday, as some proportion of the 50 million eligible voters makes a decision between a former air force general and a leader of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. The military has spread 150,000 troops through the country to safeguard some 13,000 polling stations. […]
Omar Khayyam (137) : … Wounded the Heart…
The one who made the heavens and the earth has wounded the heart of many a mourner; he has put many ruby lips and perfumed locks six feet beneath the ground. Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 137
The Revenge of the Leftovers in Egypt
The Egyptian constitutional court on Thursday threw the Egyptian Revolution for a loop. There are howls of outrage about a soft coup, or a counter-revolution. The specter of Algeria haunts the Nile Valley this morning. But more likely we are seeing a replay of Turkey 1997. Either way, the remnants of the old regime of […]
Omar Khayyam (136) “The Caravan of Life….”
It is amazing how the caravan of life goes by. Take a deep breath, and let it pass cheerfully. Barkeep, why be sad about tomorrow’s grief? Pick up a wine glass, before the night has fled. Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 136
Global Disappointment in Obama Actually Rational, unlike in US (Pew)
The [pdf] Pew Charitable Trust Global Attitudes Survey finds that most publics abroad have experienced substantial disappointment in Barack Obama. Indeed, Middle Eastern Muslims are hoping Obama will be defeated next November. But, the rest of the world isn’t experiencing buyers’ remorse about Obama for the same reasons as the American public. Not even. Global […]
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