As it prepares for the launch of its U.S. channel later this year, Al Jazeera remains a network staffed largely by good journalists, but run by a shortsighted and biased administration. One of the first steps Qatar’s young new emir took upon succeeding his father was to replace Al Jazeera’s director-general, who was a member of the ruling family. Perhaps the new replacement will be able to save the channel at this critical time. Read more »
Egypt
Gulf States Embrace Post-Brotherhood Egypt
The ousted Muslim Brotherhood’s mismanagement of Egypt extended into various fields, from the social to the political, but perhaps the area that concerns Egyptians the most is its bungling of the Egyptian economy. Prior to being elected, the Brotherhood repeatedly touted its so-called Renaissance Project for the development of Egypt. The plan, the result of years of studies Egyptians were told, was to be implemented in President Mohammed Morsi’s first 100 days. The plan, however, turned out to be nothing but electioneering rhetoric, with Morsi having “fulfilled only four of his 64 campaign promises,” according to one monitoring group. Read more »
Spiraling relations between the Brotherhood and the UAE
Last year the Muslim Brotherhood — an organization viewed with much skepticism both inside and outside Egypt, and especially in some Gulf quarters — ascended to power, first through Parliament and then the presidency. In the spring of 2012, I decided to take a leap of faith, open a channel of communication and visit the organization to preserve the then-strong relations between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Read more »
The Brothers and the Gulf
As tensions mount in Cairo over the Muslim Brotherhood’s erratic political decisions, the Brotherhood is also trying to navigate suspicion about its motives from oil-rich countries in the Gulf. In particular, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as one of the Brotherhood’s primary antagonists: Relations have deteriorated so much that a senior Brotherhood leader recently accused the UAE, home to more than 300,000 Egyptians, of “financing the opposition” in Egypt. The UAE is a small country, and it is understandably challenged by a transnational organization that uses religion as a means of attaining political power. Read more »
The fate of the ‘Brotherhoods’ outside Egypt
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood today is the political group that calls the shots, affecting not only Egypt but also countries where the organization has active chapters. Contrary to popular belief, it could be argued that the Brotherhood’s rise to power in Egypt wasn’t necessarily a good thing for its regional affiliates. Read more »
Morsy to renew the Brotherhood-Saudi relationship
The relationship between the Saudi government and the Brotherhood in Egypt is being rewritten, and a large part of this rapprochement rests on the shoulders of Egypt’s new president. Although this rapprochement will face many hurdles, including the role of Egypt’s Salafis and the consequent influence of Saudi’s Wahhabi clerics on the country, it looks like we are witnessing a previously unimaginable good start for Egypt’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. Read more »