Research & Commentary Results

*Co-written by James P. Farwell. This article originally appeared in the National Interest online on June 9, 2011

Informed observers are increasingly raising the fear that new elections will put the Muslim Brotherhood in control of Egypt’s parliament and the presidency. Of course it will try. Senior Brotherhood leader Sobhi Saleh, who helped write Egypt’s interim constitution, said in a recent video that he expects the new government to be Islamist.

A version of this article appeared first in the interest review AmericanDiplomacy.org on May 30, 2011

2011 marks the beginning of a new era for both Egypt and Sudan, opening new possibilities to overcome the decade-old Nile water conflict. After the revolution in Egypt, many hope for a reorientation of the country’s foreign policy towards Africa and a potential new approach to negotiations on allocation of the Nile waters.

Most of the numerous articles written about the ongoing revolutions in the Middle East have focused on their political and/or economic causes and likely consequences. However, environmental and natural resource-related issues, which are also at the center of these revolutions, have received little or no attention.

The Middle East Institute is proud to host Syria experts Ammar Abdulhamid, Helena Cobban, and Steven Heydemann for a discussion about the ongoing protests in Syria and the international and regional reactions to the shifting Syrian landscape. As the uprising continues into its third month, how sustainable is the protest movement? Are the Syrian government's tactics in crushing dissent succeeding? What impact has the violence had on the Assad regime's relationship with its neighbors like Turkey and close allies like Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas?

This Opinion first appeared in the Huffington Post on May 17, 2001

As the Arab world is getting ready to listen once again to a major speech by the U.S. President Barack Obama, many Egyptians wonder about how the outcomes of the political change will be received outside of the country, and especially from the U.S.

This Opinion first appeared in the Huffington Post on May 6, 2011

As the shadow of the Egyptian revolution that succeeded in the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's 30 years reign has generated an explosion of new political parties and activists movements representing all colors of the political spectrum, debates within Egyptian political landscape are not anything but chaotic and inflammatory.

The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid, Professor of Political Science, American University of Cairo, and former Egyptian Parliamentarian, for an examination of the unprecedented changes that have taken place in Egypt over the last three months. Dr. Makram-Ebeid will analyze the current situation in Egypt, as well as expectations for upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

The Middle East Institute is proud to host Hady Amr of USAID and Thomas Garrett of IRI for a discussion about shifting U.S. funding goals and priorities in Egypt in the wake of the January 25 revolution. Egyptian NGOs and nascent political parties face multiple challenges as Egypt transitions toward democracy, including a lack of resources and a democratic system. Egypt is also facing new economic challenges and calls from some quarters for a Western-backed Marshall Plan. Amr and Campbell will explore the role the U.S.

Various Track Two approaches to peacebuilding in the Middle East have been pursued through ecumenical dialogue and educational programs such as The University of the Middle East Project.[1] Yet the direct use of environmental conservation as a mutually agreeable way to approach territorial conflict resolution has thus far not been seriously deliberated. Some “realists” might be dismissive of such a prospect, but the concept of “peace parks” has shown practical promise in resolving territorial disputes.

Environmental peacebuilding is both the theory and practice of identifying environmental initiatives that promote a sustainable peace between those who have previously been adversaries, and implementing those initiatives. Environmental peacebuilding combines two elements.

The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) is the premier environmental studies institute in the Middle East and is accredited under the auspices of the Ben Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev. Since 1996, the Institute has been teaching environmental studies to university students from the Middle East and other parts of the world. The unique approach of the Institute is to teach the environment, in which all share, as a bridge to cooperation and peacebuilding in the Middle East.

Using Egypt as a case study, this essay argues that the pathway to sustainability in the Middle East is to gradually reconcile competing economic development and environmental agendas. However, broader economic and political forces are inimical to setting about such a sustainable development trajectory. An exception to this adverse trend is the existence of innovative local development initiatives, which connect the livelihoods of the poor and marginalized with their physical environment in a productive way.

The Middle East Institute is proud to host digital media experts Adel Iskandar and Courtney Radsch for a discussion on the nature of the cyberactivism that is fueling the uprisings spreading throughout the Middle East. Iskandar will examine the battle in Egypt between the government and the protesters to control online discourse, analyzing the obstacles and the successes.

When Egyptians, fed up with corruption, dictatorship, and lousy government, pushed President Hosni Mubarak out the door, some worried whether the burst of enthusiasm for free, open elections and democracy would be squelched by Islamist groups like Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. History teaches that the real question isn’t who starts revolution, but who wins it. What begins as a quest for democracy can produce a new dictatorship.