10 - 16 July 2003 [646]
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Two-way street
Egypt moves to bolster the increasingly fragile cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians, reports Khaled Amayreh from JerusalemThe plot thickens
Until Saddam is found, dead or alive, the war in Iraq cannot be considered over, writes Salah Hemeid
'The prelude of a prelude'
There are preludes to a re-launch of the Syrian track, but it will be a while before concrete steps are taken. Nevine Khalil reports on President Bashar Al-Assad's visit to CairoBraced for new challenges
The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights waited 18 years for official legal recognition. Now that it has finally arrived, Gihan Shahine tries to find out what's next'Welcome to Beit Allam'
It's been nearly a year since 22 members of the same Upper Egyptian family were killed in cold blood by a rival clan. Reem Nafie finds the village of Beit Allam still mired in vengeance and hateNDP between populism and pragmatism
Democratisation, subsidies, free education and ties with the United States will all figure prominently in next September's first annual NDP conference. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsNewsreel
On Tuesday a state security court where 26 alleged members of the banned Islamic Liberation Party are being tried adjourned until 12 July...
A place for our dream?
Unless they can work out some form of democratic collective leadership, the Palestinians may lose more than just their land, argues Mustafa Barghouti
Reopening the FIS file
Two presidents and a bloody civil war in Algeria should have closed the FIS file, but the release of its two leaders, writes Amira Howeidy , gives every appearance of having reopened itPolitics take backseat in Kuwait poll
Kuwaiti elections brought lots of new faces to parliament, and for the first time in years, domestic issues top their agenda, writes Sherine BahaaThe end of the affair
Turkish-US relations nose-dived last week when American troops detained 11 Turkish soldiers and held them for nearly 60 hours. Gareth Jenkins reports from AnkaraBring them on
The Bush administration is under pressure to increase the number of US troops in Iraq to combat growing resistance, reports Khaled Dawoud from WashingtonPrisoners as hostages
As Israel drags its feet on the release of Palestinian political prisoners, anger rises in the Palestinian territories, writes Khaled AmayrehRoadmap timeline
2 July: Isreali occupation forces (IOF) redeploy from Bethlehem but tighten seige around the city...Facing resistance
The Anglo-American military conquest of Iraq is starting to be seen, experienced and resisted as just that -- a military conquest. Graham Usher writes from BaghdadWater under the bridge
In spite of European countries' interests in Iran, the EU seems to be following the US's lead as Washington steps up its threats against Tehran, Mustafa El-Labbad reportsMismanaging history
The US had hoped to score a public relations victory with its opening of the antiquity museum in Baghdad, but as Michael Jansen discovers, the move pointed to a host of problemsGrasping the connections
Whether the US will change the Middle East is an open question, what is certain is that the region will change it, Mohamed Hakki , in Washington, writesEnemy at the gates?
Sudanese peace talks resume in Kenya against the disquieting backdrop of a renewed campaign against secularist and democratic forces in Sudan, reports Gamal NkrumahMaking unity attractive
The Arab League is pushing hard for development and unity in Sudan. Dina Ezzat reportsClashes in the kingdom
Saudi Arabia's crackdown on Islamists continues with the government's issuing a stark warning to the sons of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden, reports John R Bradley from JeddahTorching the right of return
In this last of a four-part series addressing the main points of the roadmap, Muna Hamzeh argues that Israel plans to ethnically cleanse Palestinian refugees from West Bank and Gaza campsRefugee short takes
UN RESOLUTION 194 was issued in December 1948 and has been ratified 135 times since then...View from above
From a remote camp in the north of Iraqi Kurdistan, prominent KADEK leader Osman Öcalan talks to Nyier Abdou about Kurdish resistance, the post-war era and the end of the nationalist fight
In a jam over GM foods
Egypt is caught in the middle of a dispute between the US and the EU over genetically modified foods, Yasser Sobhi writesThe key to growth
Trade and more trade may be the only answer to MENA's fragile growth rates, writes Sherine NasrRiding for a fall
Although tough global economic conditions are leaving their traces on both the rich and the poor, the gap between the two is widening at break-neck speed. Wael Gamal draws contrasts from two recently published reportsMobile bonanza
As the mobile phone craze takes on a new national form, Yasmine El-Rashidi checks out the latest in GSM chatterBriefs
Efforts are underway to speed up the implementation of the Egypt-EU Association agreement, Niveen Wahish writes...Pakistani predicament
Sectarian violence rears its ugly head once again in Pakistan, reports Iffat Idris from IslamabadBraving the Mediterranean
Immigration and asylum are heading the Italian political agenda, writes Samia Nkrumah from Rome'Black ship' down
The storming by Greek commandos of a mystery ship carrying enough explosives to obliterate a city has sparked a diplomatic incident between Greece and Sudan, reports Iason Athanasiadis from AthensPresidential politics by other means
The suicide bombing at the Krylya rock festival challenges the Russian attempt to install a puppet in Chechnya, reports Shohdy Naguib from MoscowThe race factor
Recent race riots in Benton Harbor stem from ongoing racism and are nothing new in American history, writes Roy Walker from ChicagoTaking one for the team
A BBC report challenges Tony Blair's chief propagandist. Both the journalist and the spin doctor survive. The real casualty is the truth behind the Iraq war, reports Mukul Devichand in LondonComest thou to me?
The five-nation African tour of US President George W Bush comes at a time of rising anti-American sentiment in Africa -- a continent facing mounting social, health and economic woes, writes Gamal NkrumahFire and brimstone
The contentious use of military commissions to try suspects netted in the US-led "war on terrorism" is a throwback to post-World War II victor's justice. Nyier Abdou looks at the tangle of legal issues raised by the proposed trials
Prioritising Iraq
The Arab world must shoulder its responsibilities towards the Iraqi people, writes Ibrahim NafieFalling at every hurdle
Just what is it that makes the Arab world so accomplished in the courting of disaster, asks Abdel-Moneim SaidAt crossroads
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed wonders whether the shackles of occupation are being removed in the Middle East or, rather, strengthened?The final frontier
Despite numerous positive signals from Damascus, the US continues to up the pressure on Syria. Anders Strindberg looks into Washington's not so hidden agendaA sustainable Arab League
What should the Arabs expect from their league? Gamil Mattar weighs into the debateDeciphering the hodna
The Palestinian factions have declared a unilateral cease-fire. But, warns Azmi Bishara , unless the resistance is involved in policymaking, things will get worseFreeing the past
The Arabs' glorious history has become a heavy burden shackling them to the past. It should be an asset for the here and now, writes Paul Sullivan, and democracy is the answerThe united front
History shows that a united national front is vital if Egypt is to play a role in building a new multi-polar world order, argues Anouar Abdel-MalekEditorial: Africa comes into play
United States President George W Bush's trip to Africa this week, which precedes the summit of African leaders in the Mozambican capital Maputo next week...Close up
False justice
President Bush's decision to try suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay before military tribunals has angered human rights organisations everywhere...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Constitutional reform
The discourse surrounding legal and constitutional issues has immense relevance to political and social life...
By Nabil Abdel-FattahHarry Potter
I have been intrigued by the Harry Potter series, children's books that sell millions and millions within hours of their appearance...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: KATHARINE HEPBURN
Stability vs vulnerability
A government challenged to deliver on its promises of change was the focus of the Egyptian press this week, writes Aziza SamiDemocracy and freedom
Struggles for democracy and freedom in Palestine, Iraq and Algeria predominated the Arab press this week, writes Amina ElbendaryBottom Lines
Quotes from the Arab press
Preaching to the converted
The attempt by Arab intellectuals to forge a "new cultural discourse" focussed too much on reforming religious ones, writes Amina ElbendaryFour participants assess and digress
Any assessment of a conference about renewing cultural (including religious) discourse must take on board two entirely separate topics...Plain Talk
I am obsessed by the purity of language. This might be because I learnt English the hard way, studying Nesfield's English Grammar or because my graduate studies were in philology...
By Mursi Saad El-DinPalimpsests of a lost paradise
Two Paris exhibitions reveal the variety and multi-layered history of the Algerian Sahara, writes David TresilianSummertime, Sobhi-time
Amal Chouchri Catta remembers summer in the 1980sA diwan of the everyday
Al-Ahram's Diwan project celebrates its 500th issue, writes Amina Elbendary
Hope floats
A wealthier world will not necessarily result in the eradication of poverty, writes Fatemah FaragAiring taboos
HIV/AIDS is on the rise in the Arab world. Has the time come to discuss sex openly? Hala Sakr reportsIran: the sacred and profane
Amr El-Choubaki , on a visit to Iran, contrasts the Islamic Republic of the imagination to that of every-day reality
Dig Days Tampering with Nefertiti
In the last few weeks I have received many e-mails from art historians in the United States expressing outrage at the Berlin Museum's astonishing insolence in briefly fusing the beautiful painted bust of Nefertiti to a modern bronze nude body...
Change and continuity under Islam
The conquest of Egypt by the Arab 'Amr Ibn Al-'As was a milestone in the country's history, yet accounts of it are vague and contradictory. Jill Kamil looks at evidence that Arab rule was marked by liberal policies
Post-Saddam soccer
The Arab Clubs Championship began in Cairo on Sunday with teams from Kuwait and Iraq meeting for the first time in 13 years.The perfect show
The president of Special Olympics International tells Inas Mazhar how pleased he was following the enormous success of the World Summer Games in DublinWimbledon winners
A new name, a comeback and records are the outcome of 2003 Wimbledon.It's official
Egypt formally qualified for next year's African Nations Cup, writes Eric Asomugha
In support of Taha Hussein
On 3 March 1932, Egyptians awoke to news that the minister of education had demoted Taha Hussein, dean of the Faculty of Letters at the Egyptian University and one of Egypt's literary giants, to the post of supervisor of elementary education. The decision, taken against a background of friction between Hussein and the Sidqi government, caused an uproar, not least among the university's students. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk revisits the scenes of demonstrations backing the famed writer
Mohamed Heggi: A sociable quiescence
Songs of innocence and experience
Profile by Youssef RakhaPack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris
Limelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz