Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPT The El Sisi enigma 18th February 2014 The head of the Egyptian military looks certain to be elected president in the next three months but his policies are a mystery The popular clamour of ‘Sisi for President!’ started within days of General Abdel Fattah Khalil el Sisi removing Mohamed Mursi from the presidency on 3 July 2013. Ever ...
Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPT Poll systems under scrutiny 21st February 2014 No one yet knows what systems will be used in the coming elections but the conduct of the last referendum raised some big questions Election observers have yet to learn what kind of electoral system will be employed in the presidential election that will precede parliamentary polls. However, for those experts i...
Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPTETHIOPIA 'Torpedo the dam' 21st February 2014 Egypt is protesting to the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. It will also boycott a meeting in Khartou...
Vol 55 No 1 | EGYPT Consolidation is the goal 10th January 2014 The political calendar is crowded as the forces that took control of the state and ousted Mursi seek to strengthen their position Egyptian electors will be called to the ballot box at least three times in 2014, to approve the new constitution, elect a president and choose a single-chamber parliament. This wil...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPTETHIOPIASUDANITALY Secrets of the dam builder 12th December 2013 Sudan has now thrown its weight behind the Millennium Dam, at a time when curiosity about the contractor, Salini, was already growing As Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese ministers sat down to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on 9 December, one item was notably absent from the agenda. The role of Salini...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPTETHIOPIASUDAN Shoring up regional support 12th December 2013 After a period of defiant independence, Addis Ababa has now, belatedly perhaps, built strong diplomatic support behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Before the joint meeting...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPT Vote on constitution nears 12th December 2013 Liberals hope democracy can co-exist with a military insulated from scrutiny but many lawyers wonder about the flaws in the new legal framework Egypt’s draft constitution has been handed to President Adly Mahmud Mansour for formal signing, after the 50-member drafting panel approved it on 1 December. A simple majorit...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPTSUDAN Cape to Cairo, again 12th December 2013 Agrogate, an Egyptian private equity group, hopes to start work this month on a hard-top road in Sudan, the 362 kilometre Dongola-Toshke (Argeen) Highway, which will link the count...
Vol 54 No 21 | EGYPT Smart bomb for subsidies 17th October 2013 The smart-card fuel rationing system is about to be launched, says a Finance Ministry source. The government of ex-President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak conceived the scheme and ex-Presi...
Vol 54 No 20 | EGYPT Gulf states to the rescue 3rd October 2013 Massive aid to the military-backed regime from Saudi Arabia and its allies could help dampen political tension after the ousting of President Mursi The economy is still struggling on many fronts but some indicators look healthier, thanks largely to over US$8 billion of aid from Gulf Arab governments since the army deposed Pres...