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I. Overview
The Middle East Institute is proud to host the Honorable Robert Wexler and Dr. Yoram Peri for a discussion about the challenges facing Israel and the Middle East peace process in the wake of the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Some in Israel, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, argue that current events in the region make it imperative that Israel move quickly to secure a peace treaty with the Palestinians. Others insist Israel proceed with caution, given the increased instability in the region.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Graeme Bannerman and Col. Joseph Engelhardt for an in-depth look at the Egyptian military and its anticipated role in the wake of the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Bannerman and Engelhardt have had extensive interaction with members of the Egyptian military over the past thirty years.
Drawing on over thirty years' experience covering Middle Eastern and Islamic issues, mostly for the BBC, Roger Hardy argues that the media have all too often shown a chronic lack of understanding of Islam and Muslim societies – and by distorting or sensationalizing Muslim issues have made it harder to combat extremism and win the 'war of ideas.' As Arab and Muslim protesters take to the streets of Cairo and the Arab world, Hardy examines if coverage and understanding of the Muslim world has deepened or improved.
Drawing on over thirty years' experience covering Middle Eastern and Islamic issues, mostly for the BBC, Roger Hardy argues that the media have all too often shown a chronic lack of understanding of Islam and Muslim societies – and by distorting or sensationalizing Muslim issues have made it harder to combat extremism and win the 'war of ideas.' As Arab and Muslim protesters take to the streets of Cairo and the Arab world, Hardy examines if coverage and understanding of the Muslim world has deepened or improved.
*This Policy Insight first appeared as a feature article in the Majalla on February 9, 2011.
Half a century after independence and two decades since the liberation from Iraqi occupation, Kuwait’s bitter experience with pan-Arabism and ongoing regional power plays have affected its growth. However, since the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and thanks to robust oil revenues, Kuwait has witnessed an unprecedented boom, albeit amidst raging internal disputes over the need for reform and the future direction of the country.
Betrayal
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Steven Kull and Shibley Telhami for an examination of Egyptian views and attitudes towards governance and their future. As Egyptian demonstrators celebrate the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, many wonder what kind of system the Egyptian people really want. How do they view the Muslim Brotherhood? If Egypt were to become more democratic what are we likely to see in terms of its relation with the US, Israel and other countries in the region?
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Steven Kull and Shibley Telhami for an examination of Egyptian views and attitudes towards governance and their future. As Egyptian demonstrators celebrate the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, many wonder what kind of system the Egyptian people really want. How do they view the Muslim Brotherhood? If Egypt were to become more democratic what are we likely to see in terms of its relation with the US, Israel and other countries in the region?
The shock waves of Hosni Mubarak’s resignation have just started to roll across the Middle East, but in Egypt the upheaval has barely begun. The country now embarks on what the protesters in Tahrir square hope will be a transition to a true, civilian-led democracy. In the meantime, Egypt is headed for a period of military rule in some form, with the ultimate intentions of the armed forces leadership still in doubt. Will the military act to effect the “genuine transition” now demanded by the Obama Administration and the protesters themselves?
The popular uprisings against authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt herald the beginning of a new political era in the Middle East. At the center of this new political order is a generation of young Arabs, educated, highly marginalized, and numerous. The members of the so-called Arab “youth bulge” are demanding neither the unification of the Arab world as espoused by the pan-Arabists of the 1960s, nor an Islamic state of the 1980s, but rather a dignified life, social justice, and freedom.
