Human Rights

Prioritizing Palestinian Self-Determination is Long Overdue

By Omar Auf /

The discussion about a one-state or two-state solution must be preceded by efforts to facilitate exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinian people. Only then can a realistic solution be genuinely pursued.

The War in Sudan—with Amira Ahmed and Manuel Schwab: CR Amplified ep. 2

By Abigail Flynn /

The war in Sudan is entering its second year. In 2019, Sudan witnessed a massive popular revolution that ousted its former president, Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for over two decades. Sudanese civilians were key in bringing down al-Bashir and establishing a civilian government in his place. Two armed organizations also played an important role in the revolution: the government’s military, called Sudanese Armed Forces, known as the SAF, and the paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, » Read more about: The War in Sudan—with Amira Ahmed and Manuel Schwab: CR Amplified ep. 2 »

Egypt’s Balancing Act

By Karim Haggag /

Jon Alterman: Karim Haggag, welcome to Babel.
Karim Haggag: Thank you Jon, thank you for having me. It’s great to be with you.
Jon Alterman: Egypt has had a security focus on the Israeli border since the creation of Israel in 1948. Help us understand the context. How does the current Egyptian concern over Gaza rank among the various crises that Egypt has felt on its border with Israel over the last 75 years?
Karim Haggag: This is a fundamentally different challenge than the large-scale armed conflicts that Egypt fought with Israel over the years, » Read more about: Egypt’s Balancing Act »

World Refugee Day Highlights Growing Challenges

By Abigail Flynn /

The growing rate of refugees across the globe constitutes an international crisis. Supporting these displaced people requires acknowledging the consequences of conflict and building resilient frameworks to protect refugee rights

Climate Change, Conflict, and Gender Inequality in the MENA Region

By Zeina Moneer / Spring 2024

Climate change—in the absence of legal and social protections—works as a threat multiplier that perpetuates gender inequalities and worsens socio-economic injustices in the MENA region

Sticks and Stones: The Taliban’s War Against Women

By Tugela Pepin / Spring 2024

The world has bookmarked the Taliban as a problematic but mostly benign thorn in the side of global society. For women in Afghanistan, however, the threat is all-encompassing

Children’s “Right to Play” In Gaza

By Ana Davis / Spring 2024

Like children everywhere, Gaza’s boys and girls should be playing and enjoying their childhoods, but the actions of the Israeli government and military make that impossible

Showing Palestine Refugees that Americans Care

By Omar Auf / Spring 2024

The Cairo Review asks the UNRWA USA National Committee questions about its purpose, processes, and operations amid the existential crisis UNRWA is facing.

The Gendering of Sudan’s Brutal War

By Nafisa Bedri and Tamsin Bradley / Spring 2024

Any analysis of the sexual violence and unfolding genocide must highlight the extent to which the media is still using an orientalist gaze to report on the war in Sudan

Death or Detention: Israel’s Attacks on Journalism Follow a Lethal Pattern

By Jodie Ginsberg / Spring 2024

Israel’s campaign of targeting and silencing the media has hidden its crimes under a dark shadow

Navigating the Politics of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza

By Shatha Abdulsamad / Spring 2024

Despite Israeli efforts to destroy it, UNRWA remains an embodiment of international responsibility for the question of Palestinian refugees, and a reminder of their inalienable right of return.

A World that Ended Apartheid can do the Same for Israel’s Occupation

By Abderahman Salaheldin /

Ending the Israeli occupation and forging a Palestinian state requires a unified effort that parallels the process which ended racial segregation in South Africa.

From Borno to Aswan: Where Development, Climate and Conflict are Interlinked

By Omar Auf / August 23, 2022

The Aswan Forum, hosted on June 21-22 in Cairo, discussed topics related to African peace and development, including climate change, confronting terrorism, regional security, youth and women empowerment, and more.

An Icon Has Been Murdered

By Nour Odeh / May 25, 2022

What it has been like for Shireen Abu Akleh and other Palestinian journalists to report from Palestine

AlMostaqbal: Envisioning a Better Arab Future

/ Winter 2022

An excerpt from the American University in Cairo’s blue-ribbon report, “AlMostaqbal: Envisioning a Better Arab Future”.

The End of the Road

By Khaled Elgindy / Winter 2022

Why has the two-state solution fallen apart and are there alternative approaches for lasting peace between Israel and Palestine?

Is It Time to Bury the Two-State Solution?

By Hesham Youssef / Winter 2022

While many may be dismissive of the two-state solution, there are no viable alternatives for peace between Israel and Palestine

Framing the Partition Plan for Palestine

By Lorenzo Kamel / Winter 2022

Many different opinions abound concerning Resolution 181, but one fact cannot be denied or overlooked: it was not a solution born out of the “free and sovereign” world states of the time

A Pandemic of Vaccine and Technology Hoarding: Unmasking Global Inequality and Hypocrisy

By Lauren Paremoer / Summer 2021

Intellectual property waivers are key to dismantling global vaccine apartheid and providing equitable vaccination to Africa and other continents.

Millions of People Continue to be Forcibly Displaced in Africa

By Maysa Ayoub / Summer 2021

Even though forced displacement is a global crisis, it is no more obvious than in Africa.

This Watershed Moment for the Land(s) between the River and the Sea

By Richard Silverstein / June 21, 2021

The recent war between Israel and Hamas has transformed the moral calculus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Global vaccine equity is a moral and economic imperative—here is how to get it right

By Junaid Nabi /

With increasingly dangerous variants of the COVID-19 virus spreading across the Global South, vaccine equity is not only a moral imperative, but also key to keeping the global economy afloat.

Tunisia: Birth of The Citizen

By Youssef Cherif / June 7, 2021

Gains made in the wake of the Tunisian uprising and in the decade since cannot be fully qualified but, on the ground, it is clear that Tunisia has transformed itself.

Yemen’s Peace Process: A Path to Conflict?

By Abdullah Hamidaddin / Spring 2021

The possibilities and risks of Yemen embracing peace and stability after a long period of internal civil war remain bleak.

Shifting the Conversation on Palestine

By Nour Odeh / May 28, 2021

Arab states and the world community must counter Israel’s impunity as well as put an end to the profitable occupation enterprise… otherwise it’s another futile ceasefire.

Enough with Words

By Nabil Fahmy / May 17, 2021

It is time that Arab states lead the world community in standing up against Israeli practices which jeopardize the national and human rights of the Palestinian people.

Maintaining the U.S.-Saudi Relationship

By Hussein Ibish / Spring 2021

The once booming strategic alliance between Riyadh and Washington has weathered a number of regional storms but is beginning to show wear and tear.

The Normalization of Antidemocratic Extremism in the United States

By Risa Kitagawa / May 4, 2021

To dissect the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol requires an understanding of the language of American political violence.

Transforming Domestic Extremism in the United States

By Chris Bosley / April 28, 2021

In the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection, efforts to counter domestic extremism should address the social and structural dynamics that contribute to violence.

The Arab World Between Regime Change and Political Reform

By Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid / Winter 2021

The American tendency to overthrow existing governments in sovereign states has been fuel and fodder for conspiracy theories of the last decade.

Funding Feminism: Grantmaking for Women’s Rights

By Sydney Wise / Winter 2021

Anne Firth Murray, founding president of the Global Fund for Women, chronologizes a lifetime of harms faced by women and posits community as a remedy.

Can the Arab Region meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?

By Mourad Wahba / Winter 2021

There are multiple challenges which need to be confronted in both data collection and public policy so that the SDGs can be attained.

Explaining Egypt’s January 2011 Revolution between Conspiracy and Conventional Wisdom

By Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid / Winter 2021

Ten years on, conspiracy theories about the root causes of the 2011 Egyptian uprising still abound.

Why the Phrase “Arab Spring” Should be Retired

By Sean David Hobbs / Winter 2021

It’s time to stop using a Western-based concept ten years on from the events that began the Arab Uprisings.

2020: The Year We Stayed Away

Social distancing, wearing masks, scavenging for toilet paper while spraying disinfectant everywhere: what kind of year was this? A tragic one for many, but we end with a hope for vaccine somewhat realized.

Empowering Women with Disabilities for Better Employment Opportunities

By Amina Abdel-Halim / December 16, 2020

The United Nations is working hand in hand with local organizations to provide greater economic prosperity to Egyptian women living with disabilities.

Egyptian Women Speak Against the Unspoken

By Omar Auf /

Grassroots initiatives to combat sexual harassment in Egypt challenge state and society to face an issue silently yet significantly affecting the lives of countless women.

Learning from a Diplomatic Trailblazer to Tackle Global Inequalities

By Sean David Hobbs /

Guest speaker at the 16th Nadia Younes Memorial Lecture, Dutch Minister Sigrid Kaag, presented ideas for geopolitical challenges in the Middle East and North Africa during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Will the U.S. Evolve its Foreign Policy from Past Mistakes?

By Sean David Hobbs / Fall 2020

Former U.S. Ambassador and American University in Cairo President Francis Ricciardone evaluates how the United States has dealt with global crises in the 21st century.

Embracing Change: U.S. Foreign Policy Shifts

By Sean David Hobbs / Fall 2020

Former U.S. diplomat and American University in Cairo President Francis Ricciardone discusses whether a Biden win will see a return to a rules based international order.

Explaining How Washington and the Election Works

By Sean David Hobbs / Fall 2020

In 2016, all predictions about the U.S. elections were wrong. Will Washington insiders get it right this time?

Abortion and the Political Futures of Women’s Rights

By Andrew Delatolla / Fall 2020

Gender and women’s rights have been divisive issues in U.S. domestic politics, particularly when it comes to abortion. How has the Trump administration handled these issues and will the 2020 U.S. election serve as a continuation of these policies?

Anatomy of a Revolution

By Sydney Wise / Fall 2020

The fight against racialized violence in the U.S. prison and policing system has characterized the last fifty years of the struggle for racial justice. In 2020, new momentum marks a historic moment.

The United Nations: Tension, Progress, and Failings

By Ibrahim Awad / Fall 2020

The United Nations has taken great strides toward increased global justice and equality, but more needs to be done.

Resisting the Tide of Bigotry

By Jonathan Weisman / Fall 2020

American Jews are left divided and looking for new directions as Donald Trump embraces the white supremacism of the alt-right and the Zionism of Benjamin Netanyahu

Five Years after Agreeing on the Sustainable Development Goals: Where are We?

By Laila El Baradei /

Much more needs to be done on the SDGs, how they are reported, and how they are ultimately evaluated.

What does a Trump or Biden presidency mean for Israel and Palestine?

By Khaled Elgindy / October 20, 2020

Next month’s election may be instrumental in salvaging what hope remains for a two-state solution.

What the Beirut Blast means for Lebanon’s Refugees

By Ola G. El-Taliawi and Tamirace Fakhoury / September 11, 2020

Inclusive refugee policies and a renewed approach to humanitarian relief will be needed to protect Lebanon’s most vulnerable.

Why Palestinians consider the UAE-Israel Deal a strategic betrayal

By Nour Odeh /

Palestinian anger rises towards the UAE-Israel deal, which is not only a breach of international law, but also perceived as a betrayal of long-standing Arab solidarity with Palestine.

The Charter of the United Nations After 75 Years: Personal Reflections

By Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf / August 8, 2020

On the 75th anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, President of the International Court of Justice, reflects on the Charter’s world-changing history.