13 - 19 March 2003 [629]
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Hoping for the best
Arafat's approval of a Palestinian prime minister marks one small step on the road to independence, writes Graham Usher in Jerusalem
Trench across the Tigris
As the Security Council continues its debates Iraq prepares for the worst, reports Tarek Hassan from Baghdad
Confidence's bumpy road
Prime Minister Atef Ebeid's government got a renewed vote of confidence in parliament this week, but only after an unprecedented degree of criticism was leveled at its performance. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsAn uphill battle
The poor turnout at a recent Press Syndicate sit-in against the war was just the latest manifestation of Egypt's critical lack of political activism. Gihan Shahine investigatesOnly half the story
A surprise announcement indicates that the government may be willing to move towards human rights reform. Gamal Essam El-Din looks at the pros and consPlay it again, Shaaban
Singer Shaaban Abdel-Rehim dabbles in politics once again with his latest tape, Al-Darb fil 'Iraa (Hitting Iraq). Nevine Khalil reaches for the headphonesAdvent of a storm?
Egypt's churches came together this week to denounce an increasingly visible former Seventh-Day Adventist leader. Heba Samir reportsBrotherhood at the Bar
Disputed internal elections at the Bar Association heavily favoured the Muslim Brotherhood. Not everybody is happy about that, reports Mona El-NahhasChildren in our hearts
At the awards ceremony of the Suzanne Mubarak 2002 Children's Literature Prizes held at the Cairo Opera House on Sunday, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak called on Egypt's literary writers to "consider culture a pathway to brotherhood and children's books messengers of peace and forgiveness...Newsreel
Egypt dismissed reports on Sunday that Israel had taken control of a maritime "triangle" on the borders between the two countries at the Gulf of Aqaba, reports Soha AbdelatyRecruiting for Hamas
Israel's relentless war on Gaza is aimed at defeating Hamas in its strongest base. It is achieving the opposite, writes Graham Usher , in JabaliaObituary:
Ibrahim Makadmeh (1952-2003)- The price of freedom
Israel's assassination of Hamas political leader Ibrahim Al- Makadmeh in Gaza on 8 March appears to signal a turn for the worse in the confrontation that has raged since September 2000 between the Israeli army and Palestinian resistance groups...Protection does not apply
Israel can demolish the homes of its Arab citizens and spray their crops with toxins because even the law does not recognise the rights of non-Jews. Jonathan Cook reports from Kafr QassemMaronite signals
Anticipation of a war on Iraq is uniting sectarian Lebanon -- even if only for a moment. Mohalhel Fakih reports from BeirutChronicle of an election foretold
Syrian parliamentary elections held few surprises. Sherine Bahaa reportsJordan's precarious juxtaposition
War in Iraq and a subsequent reordering of power in the region have Jordanians anxious about what comes next, writes Lola Keilani in AmmanAssault on the economy
Reports by the World Bank and UN warn of the growing humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories. Annika Hampson reports from Jerusalem
Crusaders and Mongols
Mohamed Hakki fears that a US invasion of Iraq will provide Israel with the cover it needs to forcibly transfer the Palestinians from their homes"Don't look beyond March"
The United States will attack Iraq when its troops are ready, regardless of the Security Council vote, reports Khaled Dawoud from WashingtonThink pink
Since US President George W Bush made war against Iraq his primary objective late last year, nearly every major American city, and dozens of small towns, have witnessed anti-war rallies that have seen the participation of hundreds of thousands of people in total...Testing the waters
Incoming Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan is handed a poisoned chalice as the US begins establishing military bases in Turkey despite parliament's refusal to authorise a US troop deployment, reports Gareth Jenkins in IstanbulMission to Baghdad
Dina Ezzat looks at the aims of a high level Arab delegation to IraqAs the world turns
Has the US stance on Iraq doomed the United Nations to "irrelevance"? Nyier Abdou asks UN Information Centre Director Dysane Dorani about the quixotic mandate of the real Big BrotherBeating about the Bush
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder tries to take a stand against the war -- and keep the American door open, reports Tom Schimmeck in BerlinLetting it ride
After the fireworks of the Arab summit, the tense wait for the attack on Baghdad resumes. But, as our correspondent in Doha discovers, the Qatari capital hardly feels like a town poised for warRussian refusal
Russia's solid diplomatic manoeuvering keeps the ground firm under Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports Shohdy Naguib from MoscowAt the eleventh hour
With military action now almost certain, Britain's anti-war movement faces an urgent challenge: how to follow up the biggest demonstration in British political history. Alistair Alexander reports from LondonThe lesser of all evils
Why war in Iraq now? Veteran Middle East analyst Anthony Cordesman says that sooner or later, now has to come. He spoke to Khaled Dawoud in WashingtonFlashback: A full moon in March
Today is Ashourah, the 10th day of Muharram, which is the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar...
Pound gaining ground
The pound is bouncing back amid news of a prospective World Bank loan. Sherine Abdel-Razek reportsNo light in sight
The first half of 2003 does not look promising, businessmen believe. Niveen Wahish reviews a recent surveyKeeping prices in check
Business associations and officials rallied last week to keep consumer prices from spiraling. Mona El-Fiqi reportsNatural gas takes off
Egypt is preparing itself for a new era of natural gas-driven prosperity, writes Sherine NasrBriefs
Intellectual property rights (IPRs) will soon be an essential part of the curriculum in Egyptian law schools. Although these schools already teach various aspects of IPRs, there is no comprehensive introductory course or textbook to teach the subject...Uncertain times
Australia's position on the war in Iraq may be misguided, given its dubious success in the "war on terrorism", writes Damien Kingsbury in CanberraThe spectre of terror
With the arrest of prize catch Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, the war on terror has picked up steam reports Anayat Durrani from Los AngelesGuilty until proven innocent
The Bush administration's war on terror has targeted Arabs right, left and centre; Sami Al-Arian is a case in point. Sherine Bahaa talks to Al-Arian's associatesWomen fight back
This year's marches on International Women's Day expressed a new form of international solidarity, writes Faiza RadyNEPAD unwrapped
Will the African leaders who met in Abuja translate the NEPAD vision into reality? Gamal Nkrumah searches for answersRape in the ranks
The United States Air Force has been rocked by allegations of rape within its academy. Anayat Durrani reports from Los Angeles
When it is too late
Watch, wait, respond: the traditional Arab approach to international events is redundant, writes Ibrahim NafieThe clashing of swords
Contrasting Arab with other international gatherings makes for some bleak conclusions, writes Gamil MattarCan the war turn nuclear?
If war breaks out because of the Iraqi problem, a nuclear scenario cannot be excluded, writes Mohamed Sid-AhmedAshamed to be Arab
Ghada Karmi finds nothing froth in Arab diplomacyRevisiting "Newspeak"
More than half a century after its first publication, British writer George Orwell's novel 1984 is as prescient as ever. In order to resist the illusions of "newspeak" and "doublethink" we need to be continuously on our guard, argues Gerda MansourIn the name of the West?
Mohamed Khaled Al-Azaar reads between the lines of the declaration by eight European leaders of support for a US war on IraqArab intellectuals and the American 'prince'
Hassan Nafaa picks apart Fouad Ajami's case for a war against IraqEditorial: Gathering storm
Most of the world wants the Iraqi crisis to be resolved peacefully. The United States, or more precisely, the George W Bush administration, wants war...Close up
A step forward
The new blood running in the veins of the NDP since its national congress last September is at last kicking in...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Ten targets of war
The world watches from the wings as Washington continues with its grand schemes of deception and attempts to pull the wool over the eyes of all those watching in disbelief as it prepares to attack Iraq...
By El-Sayed EleiwaLiterary history
Literature can never be separated from national events and the irrevocable march of history...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN
Singing with their bodies
International Women's Day is marked by body language at the British Council. Nehad Selaiha joins the celebrationIn progress: Handling irony
Mahmoud El-Lozy, professor of theatre at AUC, has just finished rehearsing a production of Ibsen's Ghosts. Lozy has directed some 20 theatre productions in English, French and Arabic.Plain Talk
If Alexandria is known as the bride of the Mediterranean, Aswan can claim to be the bride of Upper Egypt...Whizzing through a century
Cairo Opera House's first festival of twentieth century music opened with a bang, writes Amal Choucri CattaBourdieu and Algeria: an elective affinity
A year after the death of Pierre Bourdieu, a Paris exhibition has put the French sociologist's photographic work in Algeria on show for the first time, writes David TresilianBriefs
Edward Said, American University in Cairo (AUC) officials announced, is to give two lectures at the AUC on 16 and 19 March...
Out of the shadows
Hala Sakr joins those working towards breaking the code of silence that has shrouded the sufferers of epilepsy for hundreds of yearsEastern Mediterranean Declaration On Epilepsy
We call on th Global Campaign Against Epilepsy of the WHO/ILAE/IBE "Epilepsy: Out of the Shadows"...The politics of disease
The devastating effects of the continuous economic sanctions on Iraq on the health of the people as well as the health care system are no news...Holistic approaches
The Egyptian government has launched its strongest commitment to improving the lot of street children to date. Negar Azimi reports on the launch of the latest initiative, interviews Shahida El-Baz and reviews the latest Human Rights Watch report on the situation of street children in EgyptCandid talk
Shahida El-Baz is a specialist in political economy with a Master's degree in law from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague and a PhD in political economy from London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)...Children without a voice
Only weeks before the government launched a plan of action for the country's estimated 150,000-plus street children, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its own report on the subject, bringing international attention to a problem of alarming proportions...
Capital names
The long neglected site of Memphis is under study by the Russian Institute for Egyptology in Cairo. Jill Kamil talks to the project directorEl-Baz: his name on Mars
Farouk El-Baz graduated from Ain Shams University in 1958 and gained his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg in 1964...
By Zahi Hawass
Pitch battles
League football week 20 saw riots in Ismailia, writes Eric AsomughaHalf - time:
Give them what they deserve
I wonder when sports fans will understand the true meaning of what they are watching? When will they realise that, after all, it's only a game and that it's not a matter of life and death, nor is it the lesser issue of winning and losing...Because of war
Deciding that the political climate in the Middle East posed a threat to the safety of the players, FIFA has postponed the World Youth Cup. Abeer Anwar reportsWater win
Canada won the fifth Cairo International Waterpolo Championship at Gezira club. Turkey came second followed by the Egypt B team...Starless yet shining
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (485)
There are no big names in Egypt's ITF women's tennis tournament but nobody is complaining. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab sees why
The lost khedive
Three of the nine members of the Mohamed Ali dynasty who ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952 were deposed. Two were ousted by foreign will: Ismail in 1879 and Abbas II in 1914. In 1952, the third, Farouk, was overthrown by the will of Egyptians. Ismail and Farouk headed off to their exile of choice -- Italy -- where they calmly lived out the rest of their lives. Ismail died 16 years after his departure from Egypt and Farouk, at the age of 45, 13 years after his exile. But Abbas II, writes Professor Yunan Labib Rizk, was a different story
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight: Four stars for Japan
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz