Midan

An Egyptian in Space

By Aaron T. Rose / Spring 2014

Omar Samra is reaching for the moon. He was the first Egyptian to ascend to the summit of Mount Everest. He was also the first of his countrymen to climb the highest peaks on the other six continents. Soon, he plans to go even higher. In 2015, Samra is set to become the first Egyptian in space.

Oriental Hall, etc.

By Rozina Ali / Spring 2014

Happenings, speakers, and events at the American University in Cairo.

Tahrir Tech

By Deena Refai / Spring 2014

Over the past three years, Tahrir Square has become a symbol of revolt, the scene of countless political protests and, too often, violence and bloodshed. If a bold new vision succeeds, the neighborhood around the square will soon be buzzing with innovators and entrepreneurs, a symbol of Egyptian economic progress.

Desert Flowering

By Fernanda Uro Aboites and Rozina Ali / Spring 2014

Saudi Arabia made its first-ever submission of a film for an Oscar at the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood. Wadjda, which was submitted in the Best Foreign Film category, failed to earn a nomination, but it made history as the first feature movie to be filmed entirely in the country.

The Government and the Ostrich

By Laila El Baradei / Spring 2014

Rather than working on clearly identifying and recognizing problems, many Egyptians seem to prefer a different approach based on denial, and pointing fingers at others. This reminds us of the proverbial tale of the ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Comic Relief

By Jonathan Guyer / Winter 2014

In the tumultuous three years since the Tahrir Square uprising, a number of young Egyptian cartoonists have persevered to defend a crack of space for free expression and dissent.

Oriental Hall, etc.

By Deena Refai and Rozina Ali / Winter 2014

Happenings, speakers, and events at the American University in Cairo.

Nile View: Managing Egypt

By Laila El Baradei / Winter 2014

Since the January 25 Revolution three years ago, we have witnessed five changes of government, yet citizens are still complaining about government performance in general. What is it that other nations do, and do well, that Egyptians can learn from?

Damage Control

By Rozina Ali / Fall 2013

A political prisoner freed. An affidavit documenting police abuse. An audience with lawmakers. When Egyptians rose up in 2011, human rights campaigner Heba Morayef dared to hope that such incremental accomplishments were giving way to freedom and democracy. But the dream didn’t last for long.

Oriental Hall, etc.

/ Fall 2013

Egypt’s changing of the guard in July brought a number of AUC alumni into the interim government formed by President Adly Mansour.

Keeping Hope Alive

By Laila El Baradei / Fall 2013

At present, what is of major concern to the Egyptian citizen is a need to realize the January 25 demands for better quality of life, freedom, human dignity and social justice.

An American in Tehran

By Holly Dagres / Summer 2013

As I was turning thirteen, I packed up everything I had to embark on a new life in Tehran with my Iranian mother and stepfather. In 1999, I left behind everyone and everything I knew in Los Angeles, including my American father.

Oriental Hall, etc.

By Erin McDonough and Pesha Magid / Summer 2013

The official unemployment rate in Egypt rocketed to 13.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013. The news added to the gloom of Egyptians complaining that the country’s economic fortunes have taken a nasty turn for the worse since the January 25 revolution.

Egypt’s Predicament

By Nabil Fahmy / Summer 2013

Two and a half years after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, a year after the election of his successor, Mohammed Morsi, and after Morsi’s sudden ouster and the appointment of an interim president, Mansour Al-Adly, head of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, in July, the country is still searching for its identity.

Refugees and Researchers

By Maha El-Kady / Spring 2013

In March, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that 20,665 Syrian refugees had been registered in Egypt by the international agency. The figure startled researchers at the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC).

Diary of a BDS Activist

By Aaron T. Rose / Spring 2013

The United Nations General Assembly was on the eve of its historic vote to recognize the State of Palestine. But, for this Palestinian American, it was no cause for rejoicing. “The facts on the ground,” she told a packed lecture hall at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in November, “have killed the possibility of two states.”

Oriental Hall, etc.

By Nadeen Shaker / Spring 2013

What is President Barack Obama doing in Middle East? What should his policy be? Three former U.S. policy makers took a crack at those questions in “After the Arab Spring,” a forum held by AUC’s School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in February a few week’s after Obama’s inauguration for a second term of office.

Land of Immigration

By Mark J. Miller / Spring 2013

A long-serving former head of the Migrants Branch of the International Labor Organization W.R. Boehning once wrote that, “The history of mankind is a history of migration.” Egyptians, better than most, know the value of Boehning’s insight.

The Mission of Middle East Studies

By Owain Lawson / Winter 2013

Middle East Studies is a curious field. Unlike more sharply defined traditional social sciences, it may appear to be an arbitrary collection of disciplinary approaches studying an arbitrary collection of countries. It often finds itself in cross currents that mirror the politics—and passions—of the region it examines. The Middle East Studies Center at the American University in Cairo recently hosted a panel of specialists to engage in some self-reflection that seemed particularly apt in the midst of the Arab Spring: “Why Middle East Studies? A Discussion of the State of the Field.”

Oriental Hall, etc.

By Fritz Lodge and Stephen Kalin / Winter 2013

Is the Middle East entering a new Cold War? That was a question posed at a recent conference at the AUC by Fulya Atacan, a professor of political science at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul.

Policy and People at Egypt’s Global University