Human Rights
Civil Marriage in Limbo
In Lebanon, the recurring debate around civil marriage highlights the sectarian-patriarchal grip on personal status affairs and the state itself.
The Juggernaut’s Achilles Heel
The US may have recognized Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, but the Golan Druze, like East Jerusalem Palestinians, continue to reject Israeli citizenship and civic participation. If Israel is now empowered to annex parts of the West Bank, will Palestinians there break the pattern and embrace citizenship if offered?
Can Israel Survive Netanyahu?
Following Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection Israel is a land of contradictions, democratic and wealthy yet with dangerous demographic divisions
Lose Your Privileges or Gain a Homeland?
Hassan Asfour, senior Oslo-era negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization, discusses why the Oslo Accords were doomed and the next step: declaring an independent Palestinian nation
The Case for the One-State Solution
With the two-state solution on life support, it’s time to revisit solutions once discarded as radical—namely, the one-state option
Preserving Kurdish Autonomy
Divisions among the states vested in Syria are opening possibilities for Syria’s Kurds to secure greater protection for their autonomy.
Reforming UN Peacekeeping
How Cairo views efforts at reforming United Nations’ peacekeeping, especially in the Middle East and Africa.
Civil Society for the Displaced
To meet the challenges of massive human displacement in the Middle East and North Africa, civil society actors need a common platform where they can advocate. The MENA Civil Society Network for Displacement or CSND sets out to be that.
Faith That Peace Will One Day Come
Former United States president and architect of the Camp David Accords Jimmy Carter discusses the 1978 conference that changed the Middle East and the prospects for peace today.
A New Beginning for Yemen?
The strategic role of the United States—and others—in finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
What Future for the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood Policy?
The upcoming EU-Arab summit could help in crafting a new regional relationship.
The Risks of Hardened Borders in North Africa
Rather than making North Africa safer, securitizing borders has raised the risk of instability along the region’s frontiers, where communities depend on smuggling.
The Qatar Blockade’s Impact on Migrants
The Global South’s New Migration
The issue of migration cannot, and should not be handled bilaterally between the Global North and Global South. What is needed instead is a focus on South-South relations to improve the lives of all people involved in migration.
Pains and Dreams on the Silk Road
Chinese activity in the Middle East has been a lesson in non-involvement and support for local economic projects; yet, as the Belt and Road Initiative kicks off, China’s role in the MENA region will inevitably change.
SDG 16 and the Lessons for Egypt
The lessons learnt for Egypt from the 2018 United Nations Public Service Awards which were held to recognize nations achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 16.
What Tech Can Do for Arab Women
If the technology sector can ease constraints that have traditionally excluded Arab women from economic opportunities, then both tech and women will greatly benefit.
Jordan at the Crossroads
Jordan’s economic, demographic and geographic characteristics have left the country vulnerable to mass protests and external pressure that can only be overcome by a comprehensive reform program.
What’s Next for Gaza
The crisis in Gaza and possible Israeli policies which could create real change on the ground.
Syria Podcast, Part 2
Dr. Nader Hashemi explains his views on the Obama Administration’s mistakes in the Syrian Civil War.
The Lam-Alif Artist
The work of award-winning Egyptian-Lebanese artist Bahia Shehab focuses on issues of identity and injustice.
“We want to see real results”
The Cairo Review speaks to Rothna Begum about the status of female migrant domestic workers in the Gulf.
Iranian Women, Work, and the Gender Regime
Iranian women advance their political agency even as their government imposes a neo-patriarchal economic and political system in the Islamic Republic.
Syria Podcast, Part 1
ISIS, Russia, and Iran’s Influence on the Syrian Civil War.
Trump’s Dangerous Gamble
The consequences of Trump’s short-sighted decision on the Iran Nuclear Pact and an analysis of the JCPOA’s pros and cons.
Empowering Women to Ride?
New developments and challenges for women riders and drivers in the Ride-hailing industry.
Kuwait’s Foreign Labor Quandary
Recent tensions with the Philippines regarding mistreatment of domestic workers highlight Kuwait’s dependence on foreign labor for lower-paying jobs.
The Meaning of Eastern Ghouta and Assad’s “Victory”
The Assad regime has won the war; it cannot, however, win the peace.
عبء اللورد بلفور
قبل مائة عام مهّد وعد بلفور الطريق لإقامة دولة يهودية في فلسطين، وقد طالب رئيس دولة فلسطين الحكومة البريطانية الاعتذار عن الوثيقة التي أطلقت مائة عام من المعاناة والتشرد للشعب الفلسطيني.
Lord Balfour’s Burden
A century ago, the Balfour Declaration paved the way for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The President of the State of Palestine asks the United Kingdom’s government to apologize for a document that set off a century of suffering and dispossession for the Palestinian people.
The Real Debate That Islamism Should Spark
Is Islamism a dangerous trend of the future in Muslim-majority societies, or a natural passing phase only?
Refugee Champion
Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband quit Parliament to take up the helm of the International Rescue Committee. He speaks to Cairo Review Senior Editor Amir-Hussein Radjy about the biggest refugee crisis since World War II and the personal family story that drives his work.
Fury in the Philippines
When President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed a deadly war on drug traffickers, criticism by the Obama administration highlighted growing tensions in the century-old U.S.-Philippine alliance. Will Duterte’s budding friendship with a new American president head off Manila’s tilt to China?
A Decisive Year for Iraqi Kurds
The risks are high, but an independent Kurdish state is within reach of a fractious leadership.
Three New Trends in Iran’s Politics
The country’s ruling establishment, guardians of the 1979 Islamic revolution, confront a changing society.
Empty Promises in Riyadh
The Trump administration pageant moves to the Middle East.
Extremism Watch in Pakistan
A “National Action Plan” to combat terrorism is incomplete without the state confronting its own history of supporting radical Islamism.
Oriental Hall, etc.
Happenings, speakers, and events at the American University in Cairo in Spring 2017.
Woes of Arab Youth
Study reveals unemployment as number one problem
Plight of an Arab Intellectual
The oeuvre of Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim chronicles his country’s political dramas from the time of Gamal Abdel Nasser. He speaks to Cairo Review Contributing Editor Jonathan Guyer about the “beautiful generation” of the Tahrir Square revolution and how the military saved Egypt from the Muslim Brotherhood.
Will Israel Reciprocate Hamas’ Gesture towards Peaceful Coexistence?
Israel has not offered any such signals, and remains defiant of the international consensus of the UN Security Council that its colonial settlements must end and it must share Jerusalem.
Qatar’s Struggle to Reform Labor Laws
Though Qatar has been reforming its laws on migrant labor, little is being done to address the system’s underlying deficiencies.
The Attack on Civil Society Outside Cairo
Since President El-Sisi has taken office, an unprecedented government crackdown has rendered large parts of the country without any independent human rights groups.
The New Battle Over LGBTQ
Donald Trump has expressed sympathy for gay rights in the past, but his conservative supporters are out to reverse the hard-won gains made by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. Activists are ready for a fight.
Acts of Annihilation
Perceptions of the Islamic State’s attack on the Yazidis focus on the enslavement of women and girls, but the barbarous gender-based assaults on women as well as men are an integral part of the group’s campaign of genocide to eradicate a religious minority.
Egypt, Rebranded
The “Egypt The Future” economic development conference reaffirmed the primacy of the strongman in Egyptian politics. That may win the hearts and minds of some global capitalists, but will Tahrir Square revolutionaries buy it?
Egypt’s Orwellian Populisms
The ruling establishment claims to defend the people even as its actions target the people.
The Yazidi Genocide
Beheading of men, rape, and enslavement of women—the destruction of a minority ethnic community is among the crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Will the group be brought to justice for its persecution of the Yazidis?
Greece Bears EU’s Refugee Burden
Europe remains an unreliable partner for Greece in handling the refugee crisis.
Saudi-Backed Extremism Is Fueling Yemeni Outrage
Blaming Saudis and Americans for civilian casualties and growing extremist violence, Yemenis are upping their own media and military campaigns.