Vol 54 No 1 | EGYPT Navigating the rapids 10th January 2013 Egypt is set for another turbulent year as the political conflicts following the 2011 revolution play out and the economy struggles to recover Elections for the lower house of parliament, the Maglis el Nuwab, are scheduled during the next two months but could be delayed if disputes over the constitution persist. The polls...
Vol 54 No 1 | LIBYA Democratic hustle 10th January 2013 Libya’s rulers will need cajoling and heavy popular pressure before they do what is needed to set up an authoritative central government Mounting problems of security, economics and social development will hustle democratic Libya’s feeble central government and half-formed state institutions into action on several f...
Vol 53 No 25 | EGYPT A country polarised 14th December 2012 The President’s enforcement of his power over the judiciary paves the way for a new constitution and a dangerously divided country If the referendum on Egypt’s new constitution goes ahead as planned on 15 December and wins a majority, it will mark a political victory for President Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim ...
Vol 53 No 25 | EGYPT Tax threat to IMF deal 14th December 2012 The uproar caused by President Mohamed Mursi’s declaration of full powers on 22 November threatens Egypt’s efforts to mobilise funds from the International Monetary Fund and other ...
Vol 53 No 25 | TUNISIA Wilting jasmine 14th December 2012 Two years after Ben Ali’s fall, the lack of social and economic progress is fuelling disenchantment with the government Many of the post-revolution politicians are gaining a reputation for fiddling while parts of Tunisia burn. Riots in late November and early December in Siliana saw over 250 protest...
Vol 53 No 25 | LIBYA Unity under strain 14th December 2012 As the forces pulling Libya apart strengthen, the government makes strategic blunders and cannot make progress on the constitution Having departed from the overly ambitious roadmap set out in 2011’s Constitutional Declaration, Libya’s elected representatives cannot decide on a replacement and are mired in inde...
Vol 53 No 24 | EGYPTSUDAN Egyptians return in search of gold 30th November 2012 Last August, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Onsi Sawiris, 58, bought La Mancha Resources, owner of 40% of Sudan’s Ariab Mining Company. Naguib is a Coptic Christian and telecommunicat...
Vol 53 No 23 | ALGERIA No spring in the step 16th November 2012 Popular discontent remains widespread but unfocused. The looming presidential succession may sharpen choices and increase tension Many Algerians feel that 50 years of independence have left them with little worth celebrating. Yet while dozens of protests about housing, job shortages and other grievances take ...
Vol 6 (AAC) No 1 | ALGERIACHINABRIEFING Alger, la Chinoise 30th October 2012 Chinese companies are displacing European powers in African countries where ties were considered to be strongest, and China is set to become Algeria’s largest trading partner ahea...
Vol 53 No 21 | MAURITANIA Aziz’s power game 19th October 2012 President Abdel Aziz uses the threat of jihadist forces as a way of fending off pressure to hold elections and make concessions to opposition parties President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is navigating a delicate course across the region’s geopolitical minefield. Mauritania is not a member of the Economic Community of West African S...
