20 - 26 March 2003 [630]
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'The gates of hell'
How will history judge a war the world opposed, asks Hani Shukrallah
Securing the home front
With the region on the cusp of potentially massive change, Egypt is readying for the post-war order. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty reportKosheh file reopened
Another appeal is on the way in the case of Egypt's worst incident of sectarian strifeAll in one boat?
The ramifications of America's war on Iraq predictably topped the parliamentary agenda this week. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsSeeing Palestine in Iraq
At a lecture in Cairo, Edward Said talks about the frightening parallels between Iraq and Palestine. Omayma Abdel-Latif listened inFlying through conflict
With a war certain to wreak havoc on the airline industry, Amira Ibrahim takes a look at EgyptAir's contingency planWhat's to be done?
Hours before American missiles start falling over Iraq, Shaden Shehab samples the mood on the Egyptian streetThe beleaguered industry
As the tourist sector braces itself for the anticipated war on Iraq, the government is extending it a helping hand. Rehab Saad reportsAnger in the valley
On the eve of war against Iraq Soha Abdelaty finds provincial Egypt far from sleepy'Justice finally prevailed'
Sociologist and democracy activist Saadeddin Ibrahim is now completely free. Jailan Halawi reports on the last chapter of a case that has put Egyptian civil society to a bitter testConvicted before the fact
Human rights activists said that the ongoing Queen Boat case is "a flagrant violation of basic principles of justice"
Hidden hunger
Jonathan Cook in Azzoun investigates the humanitarian crisis devastating the PalestiniansThe reformist illusion
The Palestinian leadership hoped the appointment of a prime minister would smooth the road to peace. But the road is still going nowhere, writes Graham Usher in JerusalemMurder in cold blood
American peace activist Rachel Corrie's death was no accident. Rasha Saad speaks to a witness to the tragedyBetween a tank and a tent
It looks as though Jordan will be accepting US troops and refugees. Michael Jansen reports from AmmanOut of Iraq
Thousands of refugees may race towards Turkey's borders in the event of a US-led war in Iraq. Elizabeth Frantz reports on Turkey's plans to handle the crisisBiting the bullet
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is forced to choose between a rock and hard place, writes Gareth Jenkins from IstanbulCasualties of conflict
A US war against Iraq may not necessarily lead to an exodus of US investment from Egypt but, Yasser Sobhi finds that new funds may not be forthcomingWaiting for war
Government officials and business associations are bracing themselves for an anticipated US attack on Iraq. Mona El-Fiqi reportsPrecarious policy
As the battle between the government and traders brews over price fixing, consumers continue to pay an exorbitant price for everyday goods. Sherine Nasr writesLooking at liberalisation
Egypt's new exchange rate regime continues to be a highly controversial subject. Niveen Wahish reviews two recently released studies on the issueOpening up telecoms
A new regulatory law is changing the face of the telecommunications sector
Lessons unlearned
As I followed recent Security Council meetings, another, much earlier, meeting kept springing to mind. It lasted three hours and took place in May 1967 on Egypt's Mediterranean coast at El-Alamein...
By Mohamed Hassanein HeikalA world united against war
Ayman El-Amir believes that the way in which the US has handled the Iraq issue has severely weakened the very foundations of the United Nations'Up against chaos'
On the eve of an almost certain US military invasion of Iraq, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa spoke to Dina Ezzat about Arab efforts to stop the warToppling the tyrant
US President George W Bush defied the whole world and declared war against Iraq, Khaled Dawoud reports from WashingtonBetween tyranny and occupation
Saddam must go and the US should follow him out, a prominent Iraqi Shi'a figure told Omayma Abdel-Latif in a recent interviewEurope divided
The war council in the Azores irreparably damaged European unity. In its wake, anti-war and pro-war states traded insults and pursued conflicting agendas, writes Gamal NkrumahThe morning after
Only hours away from an imminent military onslaught on Iraq, the question remains: who will rule after Saddam? Omayma Abdel-Latif reportsBaghdad vertigo
Tarek Hassan witnesses the last days of the Iraqi capital under Saddam HusseinOnce upon a war
Sinan Antoon remembers the bombing of Baghdad in 1991 and salutes the millions protesting the imminent war on IraqOn equality
Sayyid Ali Al-Ridha argues that this month's Shi'a conference in Tehran should not be seen as a sectarian attempt to usurp the rights of Iraq's minoritiesIn the trenches
The other America
Can the anti-war movement survive the outbreak of war? Nyier Abdou finds activists smoothly shifting gears
The United States is not the monolith many Arabs presume it to be. It is more accurate, writes Edward Said , to apprehend America as embroiled in a serious clash of identities whose counterparts are visible as similar contests throughout the rest of the world
By Edward Said
Preemptive whims
The US government is aiming at a nuclear 'strike-first policy' which could be directed against any potential adversary, writes Aziza SamiAngling for Bin Laden
In the face of growing public sympathy with Iraq, the Pakistani authorities step up their search for renegade Al-Qa'eda elements, reports Iffat Idris from IslamabadA necessary evil?
Turkish Cypriots poison relations between Turkey and Europe in the short-run, but in the longer term, they might prompt Turkey to pull out of Cyprus, reports Michael Jansen from NicosiaHedging their bets
British Prime Minister Tony Blair faces cabinet opposition on war with Iraq that could well end in "regime change" in Britain, writes James Corbett in LondonA death foretold
Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic's assassination last week might have surprised the West, but not his fellow citizens. Adisa Busuladzic reports from BelgradeDividends of war
The US holds all the trumps, yet the market gains of war remain uncertain, writes Faiza Rady
Joining hands
Can war become the crucible for more progressive alliances, asks Anouar Abdel-MalikThe demise of the UN
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed wonders whether Bush's unilateral decision to go to war has dealt the death blow to the United NationsAmericans as sitting ducks
The imminent US military occupation of Iraq is an invitation to Al-Qa'eda militants. Diaa Rashwan ponders a significant, if little discussed, fallout of invasionMisleading roads
The US has just brushed off its roadmap for Palestine, but somehow made its initiative conditional on the war against Iraq. Azmi Bishara read the map and found its lines rather blurryShock and awe showbiz
Despondent and unable to get teary-eyed at the sight of the Star-Spangled Banner, M Shahid Alam proposes a scheme that will persuade Iraqis to enjoy the war against themIncomprehensible destruction
The doctrine of Shock and Awe, adopted by the US in its impending invasion of Iraq is inspired by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sandy Tolan reveals the horror we are about to seeThe Israeli connection
Israel's needs lie at the heart of the American/British war on Iraq, writes Mostafa El-FekiWelcome to Tombstone!
In those days of talk of chemical and biological weapons, Haim Bersheeth remembers an American 'hero' of the past: General Amherst and his smallpox-infested blanketsBaghdad: another Hiroshima?
Hassan Abu-Taleb ponders the horrors of war after making a timely visit to the memorial in HiroshimaEditorial: Gross miscalculations
Washington will embark on its military invasion of Iraq with no legal backing, and in the face of massive international opposition...Close up
Tragic farce
While Bush, Blair and Aznar met in the Azores to present a final ultimatum to the Security Council, Israeli bulldozers were in the process of crushing a 23- year-old American girl to death as she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian house.
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Trampling due process
It is usual that national leaders, when they announce war, do so having secured the support of their people...
The West and us
At the present time, with the American-British orientation embodying Western arrogance, it may seem as though the West is an indelible foe -- or, at least, that we have a problematic relationship with the West.
Bahgory One-line: Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen)
Chain-stitch
Nehad Selaiha wonders if Ibsen's Ghosts at the AUC should have targeted a different audienceRinging the change
The circus is supposed to use a universal language but, as Willa Thayer discovers, artists from French-speaking countries have a dialect all their ownPlain Talk
Tradition versus innovation: it is the subject of perennial debate. Yet first we must define the terms tradition and innovation...
Viennese perspectives
Amal Choucri Catta on an Austrian inspired eventThe sculptor's mood
Youssef Rakha enjoys the quiet at the closing ceremony of the Eighth Aswan Sculpture Symposium
Unwillingly single
How do unmarried women celebrate Egyptian Women's Day? asks Lina MahmoudEgyptian Women's Day: Why 16 March?
On 16 March in 1919, 300 Egyptian women took to the streets demonstrating against British occupation...Coping with the clot
At 30,000 feet in the air, Alaa Abdel-Ghani 's well-being took a nosedive
Strains of East and West
Twelve years after his death a museum was opened to commemorate the life of prominent composer and singer Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. Nevine El-Aref revisits his life and times
By Nevine El-Aref
The good, the bad and make believe
A trip to Syria keeps Rebekah Logan on her toes, but all is not as it seemsGetting about
This is a good time of year to visit Upper Egypt and the Western Desert oases. Here is the lowdown on getting from A to B...Taking a spin
It's not quite the Tour De France but Egypt's own mini-tour created its fair share of excitement. Yasmine El-Rashidi looks at the cycling tour and its accompanying Cairo communitySixty minutes
Top seed Lleyton Hewitt needed just an hour to beat Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten 6-1, 6-1 to retain his Pacific Life Open title in California. Hewitt outplayed Kuerten, making just 10 unforced errors to the Brazilian's 30, while hitting 19 winners...Staying put, lying low
Ahli remained on course to win the league football title while Ittihad might not be around much longer. Eric Asomugha reportsNaming names
National team football players have been selected for a crucial game against Mauritius. Inas Mazhar sees who's in and who's notHolland again and again
The Dutch won the singles and doubles finals of Egypt's ITF women's tennis tournament. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reportsBig stick
Poland took first place in the 5th Akhbar Al-Youm international field hockey championship staged from 8-14 March...Briefs
FIFA has permitted the loan transfer of Egypt striker Ahmed "Mido" Hossam to Spanish club Celta Vigo...
Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (486) Day of the no vote
Under a new and controversial constitution, Egyptians were to have gone to the ballot box on 14 May 1931 for parliamentary elections. But across the country the polls were boycotted and deadly violence erupted in cities and towns. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk describes the situation of a people on strike
Yaser Gerab: A touch of conscience
Pointedly vital, prim and proper
By Profile by Youssef Rakha
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz