19 - 25 June 2003 [643]
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Familiar terrain
The landscape of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the pathway to negotiations, has a wearying sense of déjà vu, writes Jonathan Cook from JerusalemChaos continues
The intensification of counter insurgency measures in Iraq seems to be fueling resentment of US forces, writes Salah Hemeid
Breaking the cycle
The Egyptians are down, but not out in trying to break the cycle of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelatylook at this week's roundHeritage for auction
Ancient Egyptian artefacts come under the hammer despite Egyptian efforts to obtain their return. Nevine El-Aref reportsA question of motives
USAID grants to develop two crucial sectors -- education and health -- came up for debate in parliament last week, with interesting results. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsAction time on FGM
Cairo will host a conference next week on the eradication of female genital mutilation. Samia Nkrumah speaks to Emma Bonino, a European MP from Italy who will be participating in the eventReading for All goes regional
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak announced on Friday the launch of the Arab Reading for All Project at a major event held at the Arab World Institute in Paris (AWI)...More than window-dressing?
The much-ballyhooed political and legal reform initiatives that became law last week did not escape a certain parliamentary wrath. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsProof of the pudding
The Ministry of Social Affairs has rejected two NGOs' applications for registration -- on security grounds. What does that mean for civil society, asks Mariz TadrosTruth or dare?
Muslim Brotherhood sources denied a popular magazine's claim that the group was contemplating "military training" and "the overthrow of the government". Omayma Abdel-Latif investigatesLegal wrangling at the Press Syndicate
The upcoming Press Syndicate elections are awash with legal complications that may result in serious repercussions. Shaden Shehab reportsNewsreel
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher led a delegation to Luxembourg on Monday for a two-day visit to discuss Egyptian-European relations and launch a new Egyptian-European dialogue...Countdown to a truce?
Intensive diplomatic efforts might lead to a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. Khaled Amayreh reports from PalestineRoadmap timeline
11 June: Following botched IOF assassination attempt of Hamas leader Abdul-Aziz Rantissi, Hamas suicide bomber kills himself and 17 Israelis in Jerusalem.Witnesses to war crimes
Greg Rollins, 30, an international peace activist with Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT) was released from Ramleh Prison in Israel on 4 June where he was detained for 17 days without charges...Archive
Venice Declaration on the Middle EastStatehood without land
In this second of a four-part series addressing the main points of the Mideast roadmap, Muna Hamzeh examines the lack of a clear Palestinian strategy to fight Israel's settlement policySettlement short takes
"The settlers refuse to face the fact that the pressing need to achieve a peace agreement stems from the ever-advancing demographic clock, whose hands are ticking forward with frightening speed to a time at which the State of Israel will lose the reason for its Zionist existence, or its democratic image."...Left to their own devices
The protests in Iran, writes Amr Elchoubaki from Tehran, are not the state of revolt the US depicts them as being, but evidence of something else altogetherBack to the people
Hanan Ashrawi tells Dina Ezzat that for Palestinians to escape their current predicament the leadership and opposition should re-examine their prioritiesSaudi clampdown intensifies
Those who had doubts that the House of Saud is determined to destroy the Al-Qa'eda cells in the country should finally be convinced, writes John R Bradley from JeddahThe flood beyond the logjam
Former CIA official Graham Fuller speaks to Amira Howeidy about the forces Bush has unleashed in the region'A spirit of cooperation'
"We want to bring the spirit of Davos to the Middle East," World Economic Forum (WEF) President Klaus Schwab told Reda Helal in an exclusive interview ahead of the upcoming extraordinary meeting of the WEF in Amman, JordanWomen's fate
Rasha Saad , in Baghdad, looks at the challenges facing Iraqi women and speaks to an Iraqi activist, recently returned from self-imposed exile, about her vision for the futureBriefs
Jordanians voted on Tuesday in parliamentary elections which King Abdullah II hopes will bolster his country's democratic credentials...New bottles, same wine
Is the US planning for a regional overhaul? Soha Abdelaty looks into the Bush administration's reform agenda for EgyptPushing Doha through
Egypt and Australia should support their common trade interests, writes Australian Minister for Trade Mark VaileLoans crisis revisited
The urgency of finding a solution for loan defaulters is back on the table. Niveen Wahish reportsRough landing
A private airline is bracing for a final touchdown. Eman Youssef reports
Burma on the boil
Faced with Congressional investigations and charges of lying through its teeth, the Bush administration is working overtime to polish its tarnished image, writes Damien KingsburyOld controversy renewed
Accusations are flying once again in India over the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque. This time fingers are pointing to the corridors of power, reports Shaikh Azizur Rahman from New DelhiPermanent immunity?
In its latest effort to undermine the newly established International Criminal Court, the US managed to have renewed for peacekeepers a UN resolution granting them immunity from prosecution, Soha Abdelaty follows the controversyTricks and traps?
Gamal Nkrumah talks with the Liberian President Charles Taylor about the prospects for peace in the war-torn West African countryNever again
A replay of the Rwandan genocide is in the making while the UN and the international community remain impassive, writes Faiza Rady
Smoothing the way
By brokering a deal to end Palestinian-Palestinian strife Egyptian diplomacy is placing the ball squarely in Israel's court, writes Ibrahim NafieMore takes on Baghdad
Trauma response syndrome, or Zionist plot? Abdel-Moneim Said continues his exploration of the myriad explanatory frameworks being deployed to illuminate the war on IraqEducation... a new world pole
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed was invited last Thursday to deliver the commencement address for master's degree candidates at the American University in Cairo. The text of the address is reproduced belowClear and present danger
Is American foreign policy a threat to its very security? Muqtedar Khan answers in the affirmativeRevisionist realities
Are we selling the resistance down the river? Abdallah El-Ashaal reflects on the rhetoric of recent "peacemaking"Intellectuals and the modern state
We have mismanaged our conflict with Israel, partly because we kept our best minds away from public life, says Mustafa El-FekiRoadmap without rights
Empty spaces abound in the US-sponsored roadmap. Jamil Dakwar finds human rights conspicuous only by their absenceEditorial:
In search of goodwill
Amid the flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at propelling the momentum for peace in the Middle East forward pressure is mounting on the Israelis to take the process more seriously...Close up
The press and freedom
The relationship between the press and power in the Arab world remains ambiguous...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Testing times
Education should allow for an exploration of children's skills, the development of their talents, and encourage them to indulge in critical thinking...
By Mai El-RakhawySense of responsibility
I was greatly saddened by the outbreak of violence in the occupied territories following recent peace initiatives...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: GREGORY PECK
Who, and with whom?
Balancing acts, returning businessmen and burgeoning deficits ... all featured in the Egyptian press this week, writes Aziza SamiUnrest, here and there
The Arab press this week busily kept up with changes in the region in the wake of the war on Iraq, writes Amina ElbendaryBottom Lines
Quotes from Arab press
An industry overview
The Seventh Euro-Arab Book Fair provided a professional rendez-vous for European and Arab publishers, while giving the European public a window onto publishing in the Arab world, reports David Tresilian from ParisIn progress: Healthy scenes
On graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Mohamed Refaat, now 31 years of age, found employment as a physician in the Radio and Television Union, where he still practises...
By Youssef RakhaPlain Talk
I've never been an avid cinema goer and always preferred theatre though I think I have seen my fair share of good films...
By Mursi Saad El-DinMatrix undone
Matrix Reloaded, at least for now, is being kept out of Egyptian cinemas, reports Amina ElbendaryContinuing discoveries
Amal Choucri Catta talks with Amira Selim, one of the most distinctive voices to have emerged in Cairo for decadesPhoto: Caption
The Spanish film week opens on Tuesday with Benito Zombrano's Solas, with the director himself in attendance.
Struggles for Iraq
Iraq since 1958, Marion Farouk-Sluglett & Peter Sluglett, I B Tauris: London, 3rd edition 2001, 2003. pp390Enduring Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia (Bayn Al-Nahrayn), Ibtisam Abdallah, Baghdad: Dar Al-Shu'un Al-Thaqafiyya, 2001. pp198Talking to the animals
Early Persian Painting: Kalila wa Dimna Manuscripts of the Late Fourteenth Century, Bernard O'Kane,Cairo: the American University in Cairo Press, 2003. pp336Part of Europe: part of nowhere
Qit'a min Urubba: Riwaya (A Part of Europe: A Novel), Radwa Ashour, Cairo: Dar Al-Shorouk, 2003. pp220Margo Veillon
Margo Veillon, Painting Egypt. The Masterpiece Collection at the American University in Cairo. Ed. Bruno Ronfard. Cairo and New York: American University in Cairo Press, 2003. pp178Unlikely hermitage
Khilwet Al-Ghalban (The Poor Man's Hermitage), Ibrahim Aslan, Cairo: Dar Al-Shorouk, 2003. pp135At a glance
A shorthand guide to recent publications compiled by Mahmoud El-WardaniLong hard summer of fun
Wondering what to do with the kids in the summer? Rehab Saad guides you through the best playing, and learning, grounds in and outside the cityOn the road
If your children want to be on the move, why not choose one of the many camps and trips being organised this summer? Al-Ahram Weekly weighs up the options for the younger nomadClarinets and karate
Whether your child is a future Mozart, a budding Jackie Chan, or just enjoys listening to music and kicking a ball around, there is something to please in this summer's proliferation of specialist programmes. Al-Ahram Weekly uncovers Cairo's paradise of junior creativityAll in one
Iif you have children between five and 13 and dream of finding a single place that can offer the full range of activities -- open-air, sports, arts, scouting, science, entertainment and even elementary agricultural tasks -- then the Suzanne Mubarak Children's Museum in Heliopolis is for you...
Elusive equality
Gihan Shahine sifts through the first ILO global report on equity in the workplaceBorn an adult
While the eradication of child labour is high on governmental agendas, Dena Rashed discovers that the conditions of children who serve in the homes of the affluent remain neglectedCairo cabs
After two months in Cairo, my adventures with the city's cabs have been too many and too comical not to write about...
By Muna HamzehBatteries not included
Injy El-Kashef chooses matter over mindCoffee Creams
Weekly recipe
By Moushira Abdel-MalekMambo Egyptiano
The current wave of enthusiasm for Latin dancing is far from the first to sweep Egypt, Injy El-Kashef discoversCamera-eye: Latin dreams
Appearing at many a nightclub, and some purpose-built dance schools like this one in Maadi, the Salsa craze has become one of the more pronounced features of Cairo night life...Five-year face-lift
Entering and climbing the newly restored honey-coloured limestone gate of Bab Zuweila, Nevine El-Aref learned about restoration techniques and challenges involved in the programmeGateway to victory
The 1,000-year-old south gate to the Fatimid city of Al-Qahira has been restored to its former glory without disrupting the life of the surrounding area and its residents, Jill Kamil writes
The biggest around
The Special Olympics World Summer Games beginning in Ireland is the largest sporting event in the world this year. Inas Mazhar covers the finishing touches and looks at the Egyptian entrySpurs crowned
The San Antonio Spurs captured the NBA title with one game to spare as they overcame New Jersey Nets 88-77 to take an unassailable 4- 2 lead in the series...From striking to strikers
Despite striking workers, another football showpiece has begun, this one in France. Eric Asomugha sees where soccer is shiningTwirl girl
Heba El-BourinI of the Shooting Club will represent Egypt at an international rhythmic gymnastics championship in the Bulgarian town of Turgovishte from 20 to 23 June...
Cotton crisis
Despite the vast distance separating Egypt and the US, events in the latter have always had a profound effect on the Egyptian economy, especially where cotton is concerned. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk monitors the impact America had -- for better or worse -- on Egypt's white gold
Hossam Badrawi: Critical mass
Physician, parliamentarian, perfectionist: a great many hats to wear
Profile by Niveen Wahish
Pack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz