Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Mahmoud Hassan
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Egyptian bread: fire burning under the ashes
At a first glance, decision-makers in Egypt may think they have succeeded in raising the price of subsidised bread by 300 per cent, effective from the beginning of this month, June. Perhaps the Egyptian ruling regime is under the illusion that the decision, which affects about 70 million Egyptians, will...
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Al-Sisi's political rivals face prison, or worse
The systematic policy used by the Egyptian regime against those who try to deviate from the will of the current president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, is simple: anyone who steps out of line is punished. It works. Al-Sisi is in his third term of office, extended to 2030. The latest victim...
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Egypt and Israel border tension must be calculated and controlled
Ongoing tension between Egypt and Israel over the Rafah border crossing raises serious fears that the situation will deteriorate, especially after the killing of two Egyptian soldiers, and the Israeli army’s announcement of operational control over the Philadelphi (Salah Al-Din) Corridor along the border. Current developments portend a possible escalation,...
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Will a new Hemedti surface in Egypt?
Influence of Egyptian businessman, Ibrahim Al-Argany, is vastly growing with the support of sovereign agencies. His operations are surrounded by ambiguity about his network of relationships, his sources of funding and the agenda he is implementing regarding sensitive issues related to Egyptian national security. No one really knows the extent...
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Egyptians disappearing ‘behind the sun’
At one o’clock in the morning, last 10 March, a large security force raided the home of Egyptian journalist, Yasser Abu Al-Ala (50 years old), located in the city of Badrshein (south of Cairo), without judicial authorisation, and seized his phone, personal computer and the phones of his family...
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Who is against Israel’s Rafah operation, and who stands to gain from it?
Israel’s military assault on Rafah is ongoing amid US reservations and Egyptian statements. The announced objective of the operation is to eliminate the remaining Palestinian resistance, with no regard for the safety of civilians or violating the occupation state’s peace treaty with Egypt. Despite statements opposing the Israeli operation...
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Why are Egyptian universities silent about the situation in Gaza?
While students continue to protest in the United States and other Western countries about the Israeli war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, silence reigns at Egypt’s universities for the eighth month in a row. This has left many question marks about the dormant student movement in a...
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A daily schedule for power cuts in Al-Sisi’s Republic of Darkness
Not even the most pessimistic people could ever have imagined that the Egyptian government would set a daily schedule for power cuts. This is now happening in a country whose ruling regime has always bragged about having surplus electricity being exported to Arab and European countries. This surplus was...
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Why doesn't Sisi want to run the Gaza Strip?
Israeli and American attempts to get Egypt to have a role in running the Gaza Strip continue. They are trying to plan for the post-war phase and the first day that will follow a ceasefire agreement between the Israeli Occupation and the Palestinian Resistance. Running Gaza is the biggest concern...
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Darkness haunts the blind in Egypt twice over
What can he do? This is the question you often hear when looking for a job opportunity for a blind person in Egypt, where even able-bodied people suffer from a seven per cent unemployment rate, according to official data. Thus, those who can’t see face major challenges in a...
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What did Sisi say, and what did he mean?
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s speeches are always filled with unmistakable signals about the country’s political and economic future. His inauguration speech a few days ago, and the celebratory ceremonies that accompanied it, are perhaps the clearest yet about the policies and orientations of a man from military intelligence...
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Why do candidates affiliated with the regime in Egypt fail in union elections?
Over the course of the latest heated elections in three long-established trade unions in Egypt, the result has been the same: the candidate supported by the regime and its security services has lost, and the opposition or independent candidate won. Security and regime agencies often try to control all...
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What’s behind the generous aid packages for Al-Sisi’s Egypt?
Not even the most optimistic would have expected Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s regime in Egypt to receive billions of dollars in loan, investment and aid packages, because, according to official data, it is clearly unable to pay back its current foreign debts of about $165 billion. Financial support for Cairo...
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Abused and oppressed, Egyptian political detainees fast behind bars
A few bites may easily satisfy the hunger of those fasting behind bars in Egypt, but food will not relieve the bitterness of being unjustly imprisoned in political cases. One Ramadan after another, they wait for a glimpse of light that may help get them released. Ramadan in Egyptian prisons...
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Charity work is now firmly restricted in Egypt
In Giza, near the Egyptian capital, people rush towards a large truck, which is distributing food parcels labelled “Long live Egypt”. The scene is repeated in many other neighbourhoods and other governorates. Such distributions are supervised by security and governmental bodies, who celebrate them and even take photos of...
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What are the hidden details of the Egypt-UAE Ras Al-Hikma deal?
Despite the official Egyptian cheer for the Ras Al-Hikma deal with the UAE, questions remain, even though Egypt is counting on it to get out of its stifling economic crisis. The deal was concluded a few days ago, and is receiving a lot of attention. It is seen as...
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The Muslim Brotherhood’s future in Egypt following Sisi-Erdogan summit
It must have been difficult for members of the Muslim Brotherhood to watch Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting the movement’s sworn enemy, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, in a bilateral summit in Cairo two weeks ago. The summit was a pivotal step towards Turkiye-Egypt reconciliation. It followed a...
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What are Egypt’s response scenarios to an Israeli attack on Rafah?
The possibility of an imminent Israeli ground attack on the Palestinian city of Rafah is strong, amid fears of a humanitarian catastrophe that will exacerbate the tragic conditions in the Gaza Strip, in its fifth month under fire. The Israelis are working fast to get the green light from...
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Erdogan's visit to Egypt: possible gains and compromises
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Cairo has several implications. It holds expected gains and possible concessions from both sides, amid an urgent and mutual need for more rapprochement and bilateral cooperation. The visit, which took place on Wednesday, was a turning point in the course of relations between...
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Dollar madness sweeps Egypt
“What’s the dollar exchange rate?” has become the most asked question on the Egyptian streets. It has been accompanied by dramatic changes in the prices of goods and commodities, scarcity of foreign currency and an insane wave of record high prices. Meanwhile, everyone is in anticipation of the decision...
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Corruption in Egypt – its guards are its thieves!
“Its guards are its thieves” is a popular proverb used by common people in Egypt. It is often used when uncovering corruption cases, especially in this most populous Arab country, located between the most corrupt countries in the world. In terms of corruption, Egypt ranked 130 out of 180 countries, according...
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Gaza and Egypt’s options regarding the Philadelphi Corridor
The importance of the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt has increased recently in light of conflicting statements and scenarios. Open and secret activities are taking place which aim to chart a new reality in this strategic area. The corridor is 14 kilometres long, and a few...
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There’s a new deficit in Egypt's finances and matters are likely to get worse
Money transfers to Egypt by citizens living abroad have declined by 30 per cent for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2023-2024 as per data from the Central Bank. This continued decline is leading to a new deficit in Egypt’s financial portfolio and putting great pressure on the...
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Egypt has tightened the grip on international support for Gaza
Egypt seems to be trying to stay in the middle regarding the Israeli military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. As this enters its fourth month, there are so many contradictions in the official position that Cairo may lose a lot of the influence that it has...
