A New President Will Not Stabilize Egypt

by Carl Finamore Egypt remains in a heightened state of political turmoil. Since the mass popular revolt in Feb. 2011 that toppled the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, there have been four governments, three votes on revised constitutions, two parliamentary elections and one presidential election with another scheduled for May 26-27, 2014. This makes seven referendum […]

Understanding Egypt Today: Military Rule Deja Vu

by Carl Finamore By conducting a military coup on July 3, 2013 the Egyptian military acted to diffuse the near-insurrectionary outpouring of millions during June 30 Tamarod (Rebel) protests demanding an end to the discredited Muslim Brotherhood government of president Muhammad Morsi. It is now five months since the generals “kidnapped” the revolution, as Fatma […]

Egyptian Military Seeks Support for Counter Revolution

By Carl Finamore Egypt is again making headlines and the army is again stepping from behind the curtains to take center stage. The military-appointed civilian figures are merely second-rate stand ins. Polls indicate that most Egyptians don’t even recognize the names of the president or the prime minister. This is the second time in as […]

Millions Turn Up the Heat in Egypt

By Carl Finamore The incredibly massive June 30 protests of millions in dozens of cities across Egypt exceeded expectations of supporters and adversaries alike. The protest demands were “to withdraw confidence in President Mohamed Morsi, to uphold the goals of the revolution and to call for early presidential elections.” Despite hundreds of thousands of Morsi […]

Why Egypt’s Revolution is So Different

By Carl Finamore Entering the third year of the revolt in Egypt, no amount of repression seems able to contain the swelling pressure exploding throughout the country the last several weeks. In fact, protests against the Muslim Brotherhood government of President Mohammed Morsi seem to be gaining support. The truth is, the revolution in Egypt […]

Egypt Aflame in Protests

By Carl Finamore Cairo, Jan. 27, 2013- Late this evening, President Mohammad Morsi declared Emergency Law in three provinces around the Suez Canal that are ablaze in protests. He frankly conceded the government was losing control. The strategic area around the Suez Canal earns the country five billion dollars a year according the Egyptian Maritime […]

Military Lets Muslim Brotherhood Take the Heat Understanding Egypt in Year Three

By Carl Finamore The Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), gets most of the attention these days when discussing Egypt. Criticism flows easily and the FJP’s reputation has definitely been sullied and bloodied because of their numerous sectarian and undemocratic policies. But, what appears most remarkable is that the military establishment […]

Military Orchestrates Egypt’s Presidential Election

bu Carl Finamore The military was the lone Hosni Mubarak-era institution to survive the revolution that toppled the country’s longest-reigning dictator last year. It remains the real power to this day and is skillfully orchestrating the May 23-24 presidential elections to paint a democratic veneer glossing over that simple truth. The plan seems to be […]

Revolution & Counter Revolution in Egypt: Military Power vs. Protest

By Carl Finamore Egyptians immediately recognized vivid symbolism few others understood in the soccer riot that broke out recently in the coastal city of Port Said. First, the killing of 74 Ultras, fans of the Cairo team al-Ahly, occurred on the February 1 one-year anniversary of the memorably notorious “Camel Riders” attack against the Tahrir […]

Generals Still in Charge Tough Days Ahead in Egypt

By Carl Finamore Cairo, Egypt (Jan. 26, 2012)—The most populated country in the Arab world took the day off on Wednesday, January 25. Tahrir Square was overloaded with people stretching and squeezing into every nook and cranny on adjacent streets, storefront alcoves and building doorways. Still, thousands were simply unable to ever reach the center. […]