Calling Europe's bluff in north Africa

Fabrizio Tassinari 2 February 2011
Europe has taken too little interest in the political path of its southern neighbours, argues Fabrizio Tassinari.

The might of power facing up to the violence of strength - an Arendtian view of politics and revolution

Samantha Balaton-Chrimes 2 February 2011
What we are seeing in the Arab world today is the might of collective power in the face of strength, force, authority and violence. Power creates something all-together new and original, while force, authority and especially violence “can destroy power, but [are] utterly incapable of creating it” according to Hannah Arendt.

Egyptian army declares it will not use force against civilians as protests intensify

Josephine Whitaker 31 January 2011
Egypt's military maintain ambiguous stance on protests. 99% of southerners vote for independence, according to first official reports. Surge in political violence ahead of April’s elections in Nigeria. Elected parliament convenes in Myanmar for first time in twenty years.

Taking Tea with Torturers

Craig Scott 31 January 2011
From the Shah of Iran to Egypt’s Mubarak to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, cozy relationships in US foreign policy need to be questioned

Egypt, and the thirty years of solitude

Goran Fejic 31 January 2011
 The epic events in the Arab world’s heartland are also a lesson in the loneliness of power, says Goran Fejic.

Tunis, Cairo and beyond: susceptible authoritarians may yet really topple, but questions abound

Eberhard Kienle 29 January 2011
Updated Friday 8am Mubarak's second television address shows that he will fight on and try and turn the tables on the protesters. Even if he steps down in September he will have ample possibility to orchestrate counter demonstrations, divide the opposition, foment chaos in the country, repress the protests and lock up people, or put his imprint on the transition to his successor and possibly new institutional arrangements.

The middle-east path: towards awakening

Foulath Hadid and Mishana Hosseinioun 28 January 2011
The democratic mobilisations in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and elsewhere are lighting a beacon across the middle east and north Africa. The way ahead lies through peaceful protest against extremism and authoritarianism, say Foulath Hadid & Mishana Hosseinioun.

Tahrir Square burns: a postcard from Egypt

Daniel Bruno Sanz 28 January 2011
An American in Cairo reflects on the experience of events there today and calls on the US to throw off its ties to the soon-to-be ancien regime

Patriarchal shows of generosity will not appease the Arab people

Mohammed Hussainy 28 January 2011
Arab regimes' attempts to buy off their people only highlight their duplicity, argues Mohammed Hussainy

Egyptians defy government ban in second day of protests

Rukeyya Khan 26 January 2011
Egyptians defy government ban in second day of anti-government protests. Tunisia issues arrest warrant for Ben Ali. UK government revises control orders. Palestinian Authority defiant following Al Jazeera release of leaked documents. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

Egypt's post-democratic elections: political meaning beyond the menu of manipulation

Andrea Teti and Gennaro Gervasio 14 January 2011
Egypt's recent elections went very much as expected. This, however, doesn't mean they were insignificant.

Brazilian paramilitary launch favela offensive

Daniel C Giacopelli 29 November 2010
War on Rio’s drug gangs pushes forward, with thousands of paramilitary forces involved. Moroccan security forces accused of deliberately targeting Western Sahara civilians. Protests occur as Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood claims election fraud. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

Egypt’s election: power, actors, and...“change”

Tarek Osman 26 November 2010
The iron rule of Hosni Mubarak has dominated Egypt for three decades. The regime he heads is preparing for the succession and seeking to channel Egyptians’ hunger for change into a tool of retrenchment. The secular opposition is absorbed by the effort of staying in the political game; the Muslim Brotherhood has larger ambitions. What place does a parliamentary election have in this landscape? An assessment from Tarek Osman, in Cairo.

Egyptian blogs: reporting the news unfit to print

Bijan Kafi 26 November 2010
The Egyptian blogosphere has gained real influence in the political process

Obama reaches out to Muslims on visit to Indonesia

Rukeyya Khan 9 November 2010
Obama calls for building bridges with Muslim world. Pro-democratic parties concede defeat in Myanmar. Afghans upbeat about future, according to poll. Troops at Britain's 'Abu Ghraib' trial may be guilty of war crimes. All this and more in today’s security briefing.

This week's editor

Heather McRobie


Niki Seth-Smith is a freelance journalist and co-editor of OurKingdom.

Europe from the bottom up

European Union stars in Paris. Flickr/notarim. Some rights reserved.

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Etienne Balibar

A social Europe must be a political Europe
Bo Stråth

As Europe is provincialized: a reply to Etienne Balibar
Sandro Mezzadra

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