Category Archives: Politics

Egypt and the Jewish Rabbi Abu-Hasira

Posted on January 5, 2015 by nervana111

Yacoub or Jacob Abu Hasira. (photo:Wikimedia Commons) Egypt – A court in Alexandria has canceled an annual Jewish festival commemorating the birthday of Abu-Hasira, a leading 19th-century Moroccan Rabbi (1805-1880). The festival was due to take place on January 9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Israel, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

It is not about Michele Dunne, it is about Egypt

Posted on December 13, 2014 by nervana111

(Michele Dunne via Carnegieendowment.org) Egyptian authorities denied, pursuant to security instructions, U.S. researcher Michele Dunne entry to Egypt after she arrived at Cairo International Airport. Ms. Dunne is a senior associate in the Middle East program of the Carnegie Endowment … Continue reading →

Posted in Diary of Aak, Egypt, June30, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Egypt needs a complete de-Mubarakization

Posted on December 3, 2014 by nervana111

( Photo via BBC)  Initially published in NOW. 29 November, an Egyptian court dismissed murder charges against Egypt’s former president, Hosni Mubarak, in connection with the killing of protesters in the 2011 uprising that ended his nearly three-decade reign. The verdict was … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Middle East, Politics | 2 Comments

Political Islam and Erdogan’s Wonderland

Posted on November 21, 2014 by nervana111

(Photo via Reuters) “Muslim sailors reached the American continent 314 years before Columbus.” The recent remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have left many surprised and baffled, but the Turkish president’s controversial comments are not new. Just a month … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Turkey | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

An Anatomy of Sisi’s Liberals

Posted on October 30, 2014 by nervana111

( Photo via AFP) Initially published in Fikra Forum Many self-proclaimed liberals in Egypt supported the military’s intervention in July 2013 that led to President Muhammad Morsi’s ouster. Their stance has baffled many Western observers, who wonder how anyone with liberal … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Diary of Aak, Egypt, Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Turkey and the US led anti-IS coalition: Ankara is doing more than People Think

Posted on September 24, 2014 by nervana111

Originally posted on Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond:
My apologies. I am traveling this week and don’t have time to write a proper post. However, I wanted to get a few thoughts on paper about…

Posted in Middle East, Politics, Turkey, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The myth of Sisi’s Sinai proposal

Posted on September 18, 2014 by nervana111

  (Photo via Cairo Post) Initially published in Al-Monitor A few days ago, a claim surfaced that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered to give part of the Sinai Peninsula to the Palestinians to expand the Gaza Strip and create a … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Read, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Politics, Sinai | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ISIS recruitment in Turkey

Posted on September 15, 2014 by nervana111

Originally posted on turkeyetc:
Şahin Aktan keeps a file to help him in his hunt for his ex-wife Svetlana, who took their three-year-old son Destan to live under ISIS rule in Syria’s Raqqa province in July. (Photograph by Fatih Pinar).…

Posted in Middle East, Politics, Turkey | Leave a comment

There is nothing funny about the declaration of the ‘Caliphate’

Posted on July 4, 2014 by nervana111

Photo via Reuters Initially published in Turkish Hurriyet Daily It may be amusing to some, but there is nothing funny about the declaration of the “Caliphate”  by the militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The rise of … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Islam, Middle East, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey | 1 Comment

Qatar and the GCC rift

Posted on March 11, 2014 by nervana111

Here are three interesting pieces about the recent crisis in the Gulf, which I like to share with you.  First: Bilal Saab, Foreign Affairs  “The dispute between GCC members had been simmering for a while, and it was only a … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East, Politics, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment