In the midst of a revolutionary winter, one writer sees rays of sunshine. The lack of a clear winner in the presidential election bears one overriding message: Egypt is changing.
The run-off between Morsi and Shafiq points to one undeniable conclusion: a leaderless revolution could topple a dictator but, when it comes to the ballot boxes, it cannot remain leaderless.
One Gallup poll has declared Egypt the most religious country in the world. But there are good reasons why Egypt may be joining the US, Canada, and Europe in the rapid rise of its non-believers.
We want to open up a public conversation which will situate the country’s history, society and politics within the wider context of the Arab World; one that will be finely attuned to specificities and generalities as we explore what Algerians aspire to for them and their country in the twenty-firs
With the population now standing at just 37 million, the memory of October 1988 refuses to go away. That event encapsulated the gulf between the small political and military clique and the excluded majority, still the defining feature of Algerian politics.
Endemic socio-economic difficulties have made Algeria a candidate par excellence for the domino effect of the so-called ‘Arab Spring.’ But, despite largescale discontent with the status quo for many years now, the iconic slogan “the people want to topple the regime” has been remarkably absent from
This Maghrebi state has so far been spared the domino effect of recent revolts in the region. The iconic slogan, “the people want to topple the regime” has been remarkably absent from the protests, and the stability of Algeria is seen in the west as pivotal to the continuation of the process of ch
Algeria, a rich petrol country, has the means to buy social peace. In Algiers, the government took the necessary measures, while the police has a unified command structure. But above all, the Tunisian regime lost ‘street opinion’.
Algeria’s fratricidal war has divided democrats, seriously damaged civil society and left a political vacuum in the face of the ruling parties. There is almost no opposition with a proper base that can take the demands of the people forward.
The urban, educated, upper middle class were fed up with the Ben Ali clique which they viewed as corrupt. Thus, in contrast to Syria, this section of society chose to support the 2011 revolution which started in the midst of the poor Tunisian interior, and their support was pivotal.
Why has the Arab Spring so far failed to spread south of the Sahara – and should some African leaders be looking over their shoulders?
Ethiopian politics is divided along ethnic lines. This puts the concept of majority rule under pressure and creates a situation that is neither democratic nor just. Ethiopian politicians should strive to cement Ethiopian unity through democracy and justice, not bloodlines
