The Egyptian Revolution [UTexas]

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 captivated the imagination of pro-democracy activists worldwide and turned the name of Cairo’s Tahrir Square into a buzzword for freedom and popular resistance. However, since the February 11, 2011 deposition of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s road to democracy has been marred by two military coups, a decrease in government transparency, and the erratic reign of a democratically elected president-turned-authoritarian who wasn’t even his own party’s first choice nominee for office. Our guest, Professor Sahar Aziz, helps us understand the political earthquakes in Egypt’s bumpy transition from… Continue reading “The Egyptian Revolution [UTexas]”

Protest is Egypt’s Last Resort [New York Times]

Nearly three years after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is at a critical crossroads: Will it move toward democratization or regress into authoritarianism? With a vote on a new constitution slated for the next couple of months, and promises of parliamentary and presidential elections by summer, Egypt’s military-backed interim government claims it has a road map to correct the country’s deviation from the goals of the 2011 revolution. But the passage last week of a law effectively quashing the right to public protest suggests the opposite. According to… Continue reading “Protest is Egypt’s Last Resort [New York Times]”

Egypt and Other Arab Democracies Will Not Survive Without Including More Women [Christian Science Monitor]

The Arab revolutions, and their aftermath, are a testament to the human spirit. In a matter of months, decades of corruption and injustice were confronted by the raw strength of women and men unified against a common dictator. Facing death, torture, and sexual assault at the hands of state police and government-hired thugs, people across the greater Middle East sought to shed the yoke of tyranny, as they demanded one simple human right – dignity. But once the revolutions ended and the transitional phase began, women were expected to return… Continue reading “Egypt and Other Arab Democracies Will Not Survive Without Including More Women [Christian Science Monitor]”