Full steam ahead
President Mubarak's inaugural address to the new parliament outlined a far-reaching national agenda, writes Ibrahim Nafie

American elections: System or farce?
Critical thought can be a lethal weapon. Edward Said examines the Bush victory

The US elections and the Middle East
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed questions whether legal and constitutional problems alone were behind the long delay in deciding who was to become America's 43rd president, and asks whether the present situation in the Middle East had anything to do with the sharpness of the electoral campaign

A different kind of conference
By Hassan Nafaa
The Palestinian cause is at an extremely critical juncture, for the decisions that are taken at this stage will have a profound effect on the future of Palestinians under occupation and in the Diaspora. --read on--

Soapbox:
Israel on the edge
By Abdel-Alim Mohamed

Close up:
By Salama Ahmed Salama
Tiptoeing toward reform

This week: George Jr

Naguib Mahfouz
Two wives