Amid Global Challenges to the Profession, Egyptian Journalism Goes Soul Searching

By Khaled Ezzelarab /

Print journalism around the world has been in trouble for a couple of decades since the rise of digital media gave audiences access to instant and often-free news, deeming the next day’s newspaper less and less relevant

Don’t Forget About the Red Sea

By Burak Şakir Şeker / Summer 2024

A widening of Israel’s War on Gaza could threaten the vital Red Sea waterway and lead to a global economic crisis

Politics of Apathy and All-Out War in the Post-Gaza New World

By Abdalhadi Alijla / Summer 2024

The genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip threatens widening of the conflict into a regional war, creating new realities that may endure for decades

In Memory of Dr. Nabil Elaraby

It is with great sadness and deep admiration that we mourn the passing of Dr. Nabil Elaraby, one of Egypt’s leading diplomats, legal practitioners, and a tireless global advocate for international law, human rights, and the cause of peace.

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 »

Bridging Local and Global Assistance for Palestinian Refugees in Egypt

By Maysa Ayoub / Spring 2024

What happens to those who are beyond UNHCR and UNRWA’s scope of operation?

Expelling Palestinians From Gaza Is Playing With Fire

By Karim Haggag and Omar Auf /

A mass population transfer of Palestinian refugees in Gaza to Egypt would not only entail significant security risks for Egypt, but also make Egypt complicit in Israel’s policy of bringing about a second Nakba

Egypt’s Catch-22 in Gaza: Threats and Opportunities

By Khaled Mansour /

What are Egypt’s top policy challenges should Palestinians in Gaza have no choice but to seek safety in Egypt?

Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question

By Maryam El-Prince /

Egypt has described the latest suggestions by members of the Israeli Knesset for a “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians across the world as a “full-fledged war crime”. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry lambasted the idea—endorsed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—and said that Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of civilians is tantamount to a forced evacuation.
The idea that Palestinians should find somewhere else to call home has resurfaced as Israel’s bombing of Gaza enters its sixth week, » Read more about: Gaza Conflict Cascading Effects: The Rafah Question »

Miscalculations and Legacies: A Look Back at the 1973 War Half a Century On

By David Makovsky / Fall 2023

Historians continue to debate “what if” scenarios about the pivotal conflict which reshaped the Middle East

The 1973 October War and the Soviet Union

By Vasily Kuznetsov and Vitaly Naumkin / Fall 2023

The Soviets tried to work out viable policies to deal with the fallout of the October War and Egypt’s pivot to the West

Shifting Tides: Egypt’s Unexpected Path After the 1973 War

By Ali E. Hillal Dessouki / Fall 2023

What prompted Egypt to move from a socialist state to a capitalist one, from Israel’s adversary to its reluctant diplomatic partner, from being a country with a strong national identity to a deeply divided one? The answer is war

Israel and the United States Did Not See the 1973 War Coming

By Zaki Shalom / Fall 2023

Israel’s mistaken pre-war assumptions about the 1973 War caused it to fail to foresee the potential outbreak of a war with Egypt and Syria. What were these calculations based on and why did the United States follow suit?

United States Diplomacy and the 1973 War

By Daniel C. Kurtzer / Fall 2023

Before the October 1973 War, U.S. administrations showed little interest in trying to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The war was pivotal in launching U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East and kick-starting serious steps toward Egyptian-Israeli peacemaking

We Downplayed the Signs of Peace, Then Downplayed the Signs of War

By Yossi Alpher / Fall 2023

The October War came as a shock to the Israeli leadership and security community. Their failure to take Sadat’s peace approaches and the imminent threat of war seriously led to changes to both the regional and domestic Israeli political landscapes

The 1973 War and its Aftermath: The View from Damascus

By Murhaf Jouejati / Fall 2023

Syrian gains in the conflict were elusive as a unilateral strategic move from the Egyptians put them in jeopardy

What if the October War Had Happened Differently?

By William B. Quandt / Fall 2023

Four “what if’s” that could have changed the course of history

1973—A Global Paradigm Shift

By Nabil Fahmy / Fall 2023

The outcomes of wars are evaluated based on how close any of the warring parties come to reaching their objectives. In the case of Egypt in the October War, it is undeniable that the country fulfilled its objectives

October 6, 1973: The War for Peace

By Firas Al-Atraqchi and Karim Haggag / Fall 2023

Over the years, we have dedicated the pages of the Cairo Review to commemorate historic milestones that have altered the course of events globally and regionally. Few such milestones can compare to the momentous and transformative impact of the 1973 October War on Middle East regional politics, as a major turning point in the Cold War, and as a defining case study in the diplomacy of war and peace.
This month marks fifty years since Egyptian troops broke through the Bar-Lev defensive line on the east banks of the Suez Canal. » Read more about: October 6, 1973: The War for Peace »

October 1973: Memoires of a Soldier and Scholar

By Abdel Monem Said Aly / Fall 2023

Reflections on how I experienced the war, first as a student-activist, then as a soldier, and later as a political scientist

Analysis: Can BRICS+ Provide a Counterweight to the West?

By Helmo Preuss /

With the admission of six new countries, BRICS increases its economic power and global clout, possibly establishing its place as a challenger to the G7.

Egypt: An Economic Growth Success, yet a Health Failure?

By James E. Rauch /

Amid relatively successful long-term economic growth, Egypt still needs to address lagging health issues.

From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East

By Albadr Alshateri /

The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.

Crisis in Sudan: What Does it Mean for Egypt?

By Ana Davis / June 6, 2023

Egypt and Sudan have for millenia shared borders, alliances, people, and regional stakes. The current conflict in Africa’s third-largest country has significant implications for its neighbor to the north, placing Egypt at a “delicate balance”

Climate Change: A Global Health Emergency

By Ana Davis and Andre Mikhail / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

COP27 Youth Envoy Omnia El Omrani discussed the importance of approaching the climate crisis with human health in mind and co-creating effective policy alongside those most impacted

Inclusion and Implementation at COP27: Just the Beginning

By Ana Davis / Spring 2023

Achieving a COP of inclusion and implementation….

When Consensus Is Reached

By Miguel Ruiz Cabañas / Spring 2023

The outcome of the UN climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh gives hope for climate justice, but leaves behind many challenges for the upcoming COP28 in Dubai

A Bank of Actions: Making Good on Losses and Damages

By Arunabha Ghosh / Spring 2023

In the seat of the COP27 Presidency, Egypt has the chance to reframe the Conference of the Parties as a forum for action based on accountability

COP27 and the Sustainable City: Global Climate Solution or Mirage?

By Patrick J. Bohlen / Spring 2023

The COP27 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh highlighted the gap between climate policy goals and climate reality. In the MENA region and globally, cities are key to advancing climate goals

Good to the Last Drop

By Thomas L. Crisman and Zachary S. Winters / Spring 2023

Why nature-based solutions and adaptive management may hold the key to water conservation in the MENA region

Lessons from COP27: Between Progress and Challenges

By Martha Delgado / Spring 2023

While COP27 made progress in the areas of mitigation, adaptation, financing, and incorporating a gender, youth, and human rights perspective, Mexico is putting forward various initiatives to tackle remaining challenges

COP27: Kick the Climate Can Down the Road Another Year

By Peter J. Jacques / Spring 2023

With one COP after another kicking the can down the road, the prospective loss and damage fund is threatened by the same diversionary tactics. To succeed in the climate battle, we need transformative institutions and courageous leadership

Fuelling Transition or Entropy?

By Sarah El-Shaarawi / Spring 2023

Reflections on the politics of climate change, fossil fuels, the destruction of trust, and the narratives we consume

Reflections on COP27: How Egypt and India Can Work Together

By Sanjay Verma / Spring 2023

In the face of the global climate crisis, India and Egypt must continue to lead the Global South in pursuing equitable climate action and building on the outcomes of the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties in Sharm El-Sheikh

Ukraine’s Economic Shocks in Egypt

By Omar Auf / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Political economist Amr Adly discusses the state of the Egyptian economy and others around the world, describing current vulnerabilities and emphasizing the need for climate justice

Democratizing International Relations

By Antonio Patriota / Fall 2022/Winter 2023

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali deserves to be remembered for his defense of the application of democratic principles to the international order. Today, the multipolarity of the contemporary world can help further Botrous-Ghali’s vision

The Women of War

By Noor-E-Nawaal Bhuiyan / Summer 2022

Hankir’s collection of portraits sheds light on the unique contribution of female Arab correspondents to their craft, including the integral role of their identity in giving voice to otherwise untellable stories from the Arab World

Why Climate Journalism Must be Mainstreamed in the Arab World

By Sarah El-Shaarawi / Summer 2022

While the issue of climate change journalism is particularly relevant to the Arab World today, as the upcoming COP27 and COP28 will be hosted in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates respectively, climate reporting in the region still lacks a critical lens that reflects the issue’s urgency

Social Change Will Be Tweeted—By a Select Few

By Nadine El Sayed / Summer 2022

While social media has had a drastic impact on social and political movements in the region, the dynamics of its algorithms and the financing models of the media still pose limitations on who is heard online

Red Lines in Global Media

By Khaled Ezzelarab / Summer 2022

Whether in liberal democracies or across the Arab World, journalists today are struggling to navigate a difficult route amid government restrictions, ambiguous red lines, and non-state actors affecting how the media is run

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.

Celebrating Ten Years of the Cairo Review

By Ahmad Dallal / Winter 2022

Editorial

The Changing Middle East Regional Order

By Paul Salem / Winter 2022

A history of the Arab state system starting from the second half of the twentieth century to the present

Managing Crises, the Least-Bad Option

By Joost Hiltermann / Winter 2022

Conflict management in the MENA region has little chance of succeeding as conflicts increasingly intersect and tensions driven by larger, regional triggers become even more unpredictable

From Political Islam to the Politics of Islam

By Nathan Brown / Winter 2022

With electoral paths blocked or unpromising, the Islamist project is now being transformed from what it was at the beginning of the last decade

Shifting Patterns of Arab Politics

By Lisa Anderson / Winter 2022

Over the last seventy-five years, the endlessly shifting coalitions on the chessboard of Arab regional politics seem to have played by the same rules of the game. Yet, as private interests have become a major source of political power, there have been major changes in the powers and purposes of the players