What an extraordinary fortnight it’s been in the MENA region! Anti-government protests spread to the second country after Tunisia considered by pundits the least likely in the region to experience such uprisings, Egypt. As observers currently wonder whether Egypt’s “democratic window” has already closed, one thing is certain: Mubarak’s rein has come to an end. Whatever happens to the country’s 30-year president in the coming days and weeks, he will at best act as “honorary” president until either an graceful way out is found or the deep state deems it more useful to push him out before September (or both).
There has been a large amount of commentary on the ongoing events. Below is a quick and brief selection of the most pertinent we have come across:
- “Too Late for Reform Now”
Michelle Dunne of Carnegie on the need now to support bottom-up reform in Egypt - “Why Tunis, Why Cairo?”
Issandr El Amrani revisits the events of the last month and provides useful analytical insights - “Understanding Revolutionary Egypt”
A discussion by a group of Middle East experts on what’s happening in Egypt and its ramifications - “The US-Egyptian Break-up”
Steven Cook on the dilemmas the US faces in Egypt - “Egypt’s Democratic Mirage”
Joshua Stacher offers a pessimistic take on the outcome of the Egypt uprising
