Research & Commentary Results

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.

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.

(Garrett is replacing NDI's Les Campbell)

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.

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.

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?

Egypt has had more than four decades of intensive natural gas exploration and development activities, which have become the main focus of the country’s hydrocarbon industry.

We are entering the era of water scarcity throughout the world. Water scarcity is different from mined resources that become scarce when the lode runs out. Water is almost always renewable. The scarcity applies to expansion. For thousands of years, supply has been expanded through engineering. Nowhere is that more obvious than in Egypt, where water demand has been met by increasing supply. Expansion accelerated during the 19th and 20th centuries, but has now ground to a halt as there is no more water to collect, store, and distribute.