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View of Tahrir Square, Cairo, July 2, 2013. 

Jonathan Guyer for the Cairo Review.
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"Lingering disputes within ‪#‎Tunisia‬'s leading party over its leadership are likely to undermine the government’s ability to address pressing security and economic challenges... The ‪#‎NidaaTounes‬ alliance—which includes a medley of leftists-unionists and conservative oligarchs—has persisted due to its shared hostility toward ‪#‎Ennahda‬ and its post-revolution governing allies. Increasingly, however, internal power plays are igniting strife." by Omar Belhaj Salah via Sada

Rami Khouri: Iraqis are determined to keep trying to work together for the common good of their united, pluralistic country, rather than to fight each other for the right to rule small ethnic provinces.

The dramatic events surrounding the intense negotiations for a deal on Iran’s nuclear industry and the sanctions on it deserve immense attention because of what they tell us about two pivotal dynamics in the Middle East.
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With the announcement of a nuclear deal in Vienna, a three-decade freeze in relations between the U.S. and ‪#‎Iran‬ is beginning to break. A former American diplomat with a deep knowledge of Iran, John Limbert explains the way forward.

Regional autocrats and foreign intruders sowed the seeds of disorder manifested today in developments such as the rise of the radical group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (‪#‎ISIS‬). Democratic reform is needed to spare the region from a future of failed states, popular revolts, and religious extremism, writes Hooshang Amirahmadi, professor at Rutgers and head of the American Iranian Council.

More than 2.1 billion people—nearly 30 percent of the global population—are overweight or obese. 20 percent of healthcare spending is related to ‪#‎obesity‬ and related diseases, and obesity is now responsible for about 5 percent of all deaths worldwide. If trends persist, nearly half of the world’s adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030. Richard Dobbs and James Manyika of McKinsey Global Institute explore the obesity crisis in our Summer 2015 Special Report: A World of Food.

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Rami Khouri: The political and sectarian problems that prevent military coordination against ‪#‎ISIS‬ also plague the constructive political development of countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, and others.

One of the depressing mysteries of the day in the Middle East is why the many different parties involved in the struggle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have not coordinated more urgently to fight and destroy ISIS.
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"In recent months, the ‪#‎MuslimBrotherhood‬ has been rethinking its organizational approach and considering the use of violence as a response to state oppression... The debate is yielding nuanced—and at times contradictory—arguments about the use of violence. At the same time that some Brotherhood members say it is a tactical response to day-to-day police violence; the MB’s old guard seems unable or unwilling to find a political alternative to what young members are proposing: 'smart violence.'" by Abdelrahman Ayyash via Sada

A nation with rich agricultural traditions dating back to the ancient Egyptian civilization today faces crippling food security challenges. A high-level government commitment must address the availability as well as the access and utilization of food, says Perrihan Al-Riffai of the International Food Policy Research Institute in our Summer 2015 Special Report: A World of Food.

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The proposed nuclear deal with Iran is far from sufficient, writes Nabil Fahmy, dean of AUC's School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. It delays, but does not close the door on potential Iranian breakout. There is profound concern among Arab leaders, and for good reason.

"Accusations by pro-Israel as well as pro-Palestine partisans about American mainstream media bias have long been a feature of the ‪#‎Israel‬-‪#‎Palestine‬ conflict. But overlooked amid the vitriol over contested narratives—in which journalists are caught in the metaphorical crossfire—is a serious and long-running failure of the coverage. One of the most important omissions is the impact of U.S. Middle East policy on the trajectory of the long conflict."

aucegypt.edu

Hillary Clinton is distorting the aims of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for Palestinian rights, Rami Khouri says.

"The ‪#‎BDS‬ movement that includes divestment and boycott moves by leading American churches and European banks and even some governments is not trying to delegitimize Israel... it focuses on using legitimate, non-violent political pressure to curtail Israeli practices, such as colonial settlements, that are widely seen around the world as being contrary to international law and convention."

It is hard to think of two politicians in the world whose reputation for insincerity and political expediency is as high as American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
aucegypt.edu

Did the sanctions regime force Iran to the negotiating table?

From the vault: Contributors Trita Parsi, Reza Marashi, and Bijan Khajehpour discuss the trouble with sanctions.

"While there is wide acknowledgement in Iran that sanctions have created economic and social costs for the country, individuals close to the core of Iran’s power structure are relishing the narrative of resistance. "

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel, and the United StatesA Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran@tparsi
aucegypt.edu

Accusations of bias against the American news media have long been a feature of the ‪#‎Israel‬-‪#‎Palestine‬ conflict. Coverage is more even-handed than critics claim, but key contextual factors go unreported or underreported. Among them: the impact of U.S. policy on the conflict. Rachel Dunsky examines "What Goes Unsaid" in our Summer 2015 issue.

aucegypt.edu

A rising global population—estimated to be 9.6 billion by 2050—means the world must produce more food. A focus on economic transformation of rural areas—and empowering the smallholders who grow most of the world’s food—is the key to a sustainable and equitable future, writes Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, in our Summer 2015 Special Report: A World of Food.

Rami Khouri: Several significant anniversaries we commemorate this week provide us with much food for thought about events across the Middle East at one of its most dynamic and difficult moments.

Several significant anniversaries we commemorate this week provide us with much food for thought about events across the Middle East at one of its most dynamic and difficult moments. This week marks:• four years since mass demonstrations across Egypt demanded the transitional military council transf…
aucegypt.edu

Kirk H. Sowell: The fall of Ramadi, ‪#‎Iraq‬ on May 17 has had two key repercussions, neither of which will be reversed by simply retaking lost ground -- it weakened Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vis-a-vis his political rivals and heightened the sectarian nature of the conflict by giving pro-Iran militias a mandate to retake Anbar.

Rami Khouri: "As long as Western and Arab power structures refuse to delve fully into the long but clear causal cycle of political and socio-economic factors that transform ordinary young men into global terrorists—including some of the policies of those same Arab and Western powers—then we are all destined to suffer more and more attacks in the years ahead."

The most dangerous and troubling among the terror attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait, France, Egypt and Yemen in the past week are probably the Kuwait and Egypt attacks.
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"The real story is about why ‪#‎Canada‬ feels no need to claim responsibility. The real story is about why so many settler Canadians are mystified when confronted with indigenous peoples’ absence of pride in Canadian constitutionalism and even offended by indigenous non-identity with Canadian citizenship. The real story is about the stunning apathy so many Canadians demonstrate to indigenous suffering today and their sustained commitment not to educate themselves about it."

Some say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is obsessed with the Iranian nuclear issue. Some say he just cares deeply about it. Owen Alterman reflects upon how Jewish history influences the leader's policies today.


http://www.aucegypt.edu/…/cairor…/Pages/articleDetails.aspx…

From the vault: The 2013 uprising against Muslim Brotherhood rule signaled a resounding defeat for political Islam and victory for the entrenched pillars of the republic. Yet, if the socioeconomic demands of the people remain unmet, protesters will fill the streets again.

aucegypt.edu