Three years on, the global significance of the Arab uprisings lies in the reminder of how brittle the seemingly invulnerable machinery of state can be. They remind us that another world is possible, and not just in the Middle East.
People who are keen on the democratic political process in Egypt share certain convictions as to who should fill the presidential role, and these convictions have become stronger than ever in favour of a military leader.
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent Egyptian blogger and activist, was arrested on 28 November 2013. This is a letter he wrote on 24 December 2013, from his prison cell to his sisters. openDemocracy is honoured to publish this letter to remind people on January 25, the anniversary of Egypt's revolution
Would a renewed 'Jacobin spirit' among the revolutionary forces in Egypt push the movement towards its logical conclusion?
Three years after the Egyptian uprising began, the deep state and the military appear to be openly back in control. How did this happen? Khalil Bendib speaks with Egyptian activist, blogger, and journalist Hossam el-Hamalawy. Interview: 40 mins.
Public support for the revolution was not based on strictly rational grounds. It was an act of sympathy with utopian dreamers fighting a tyrant regime.
Should the Coptic church be involved in Egypt's political transition? Or in politics at all?
What are the hurdles facing and opportunities available to Yemeni women in light of UN Security Council Resolution 1325’s guidelines? Are internal and external stresses posing threats to women’s security?
If Sisi decides to run for president, it might provide a breath of life to a revolutionary movement that has been badly damaged and splintered since the coup of June 30.
Fahem Boukadous, an outspoken critic of Tunisia’s record on press freedom, speaks about the political challenges facing Tunisia, three years after the Jasmine Revolution which ended the repressive regime of Ben Ali. Interview by Malachy Browne.
Tunisia has moved from a romantic story to a testing ground for transnational political Islam, the global strength of the market economy and the potential for progressive politics and a new way of being in our world.
The Egyptian revolt was not simply a revolt against the tyranny of the crony capitalist-military alliance, it was also a revolt against the prevalent Orientalist conception; the inferiority the Egyptian feels about himself.
