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

Fear and Power: Christian Nationalism in America

By Leslie Cohen /

What draws people to the movement, its threat to democracy, and what the far right gains in its association with faith.

Egypt’s Wildest Women

By Pascale Ghazaleh /

A study of Egypt’s art, culture, and politics of the 20th century is incomplete without a look at the leading ladies of the interwar period.

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.

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.

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.

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

Annexation Makes No Policy Sense

By Daniel C. Kurtzer / June 15, 2020

The fors and againsts of the West Bank’s annexation.

Deconstructing Fukuyama

By Ibrahim Awad / Spring 2020

Taking apart the arguments of division that underscore the populist movements emerging in today’s liberal democracies

Women and Education in the Arab World

By Sean David Hobbs /

Malak Zaalouk, education expert, discusses the position of women and access to education in the Arab World with the Cairo Review’s Senior Editor Sean David Hobbs in a special podcast recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down.

Thunderbolt Hitting the Land

By Nasser Alkidwa /

An uncertain future looms as Palestine and Israel attempt to mitigate the onslaught of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Impact on Africa Elections

By Arnaud Oulepo /

The pandemic is forcing African states to choose between holding elections on time and postponing them for safety. The risks run both ways.

Seeing COVID-19 as an Opportunity

By Ted Reynolds /

Extremist groups will attempt to take advantage of the turmoil created by COVID-19—and it’s not the first time.

Strategic Actors in Libya

By Sydney Wise /

Political Scientist Lisa Anderson explores how the local players in the Libyan conflict affect the decision-making of states, both in North Africa and beyond.

Connecting to the U.S. Electorate

By Sydney Wise / March 9, 2020

Diana Carlin, leader in the field of U.S. political communication, speaks with the Cairo Review’s Assistant Editor Sydney Wise.

Mobilizing Against Trump’s “Vision”

By Sean David Hobbs /

Former Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Alkidwa explains the ways Palestinians are contesting the Trump plan for peace and how the Trump deal caters only to extremists on the Israeli and American right

Hosni Mubarak: Passing of an Era, or Lingering Legacy?

By Tarek Osman / February 25, 2020

What Mubarak’s legacy reveals about changes in different generations’ relationship to state and society.

Amid Fuel Protests, Iran’s Hardliners See Historic Opportunity

By Sina Toossi / December 12, 2019

Citing external pressures and foreign intervention, Tehran has brutally cracked down on dissidents.

Heat is on for Brazil’s Bolsonaro

By Patricia Barbeyron / October 15, 2019

Bolsonaro has shifted focus from an economic reforms agenda, which the country sorely needs amid recession fears, to a cultural one, which pleases his supporters.

The End for Netanyahu?

By Dan Perry / September 19, 2019

After a murky election Netanyahu might be out and Gantz might be in, but it is Lieberman who is set to be kingmaker.

Civil Marriage in Limbo

By Sarah El-Richani / June 23, 2019

In Lebanon, the recurring debate around civil marriage highlights the sectarian-patriarchal grip on personal status affairs and the state itself.

Kurdistan: A State or a State of Mind?

By Guney Yildiz / Spring 2019

Can the Kurds, the largest ethnicity in the Middle East without their own nation, overcome their internal disunity and find ways to exist as an independent state or as autonomous regions?

Netanyahu’s Masterful Gaslighting

By Allison Hodgkins / April 16, 2019

The recent Israeli election showed Bibi to be the king of Israel and a master of the status quo.

Preserving Kurdish Autonomy

By Pinar Tank / February 15, 2019

Divisions among the states vested in Syria are opening possibilities for Syria’s Kurds to secure greater protection for their autonomy.

Faith That Peace Will One Day Come

By Jimmy Carter / January 22, 2019

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?

By Karim Haggag / November 17, 2018

The strategic role of the United States—and others—in finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.

A Divided America

By Erin Hayes / Fall 2018

Why American Islamophobia seems to be declining in the age of Trump

Lebanon’s Black Sheep

By Leslie Cohen / Fall 2018

Independent parliamentarian Paula Yacoubian discusses the battles worth fighting in Lebanese politics

Russia’s Sharp Turns

By Dmitry Shlapentokh / Fall 2018

To get involved in Syria, Russia had to turn to Iran as an unexpected ally, yet as the conflict develops, it is ready to accommodate any and all players to strengthen its foothold in the region

Children and Family Terrorism

By Kumar Ramakrishna / July 13, 2018

Recent bombings in Indonesia marked the first time that entire families, including children, were involved in violent Islamist attacks in Southeast Asia; A discussion on how people can fight back against this form of fundamentalist indoctrination.

Newfound Optimism for Turkey’s Opposition

By Abdullah Aydogan / June 2, 2018

Turkey’s opposition parties have moderated their ideologies and coordinated their strategies to collectively win more votes in the upcoming elections, which could deal a blow to the ruling AKP.

Countering Extremist Ideology

By Milo Comerford and Rachel Bryson / February 21, 2018

Many efforts to provide counter-narratives for Salafi-jihadism are currently failing to address extremists’ abuse of religious scripture directly.

Mashhad’s Rebuke to Rouhani

By Mohammad Ali Shabani / January 31, 2018

Entrenched interests based beyond Tehran stand to gain politically from the Iran protests of late December and early January, leaving President Rouhani’s administration at a crossroads.

Jerusalem and its Holy Sites

By Jessie Steinhauer / Fall 2017

Timeline of the struggle over Jerusalem and its holy sites since 70 AD.

Lessons from Jerusalem Confrontation

By Rami G. Khouri / July 31, 2017

The power of sustained, mass, non-violent protest by Palestinian civilians, with a precise focus and specific demands, caused Israel to drop all the new “security” measures it said were needed at the Al-Aqsa compound.

The Real Debate That Islamism Should Spark

By Rami G. Khouri / July 20, 2017

Is Islamism a dangerous trend of the future in Muslim-majority societies, or a natural passing phase only?

Understanding Sectarianism in the Middle East

By Ussama Makdisi / July 12, 2017

Sectarian violence in the Arab and Muslim worlds is exacerbated by the role foreign powers play in the region, as well as local power rivalries.

Is There Hope for Iraq?

By Muhamed H. Almaliky / Summer 2017

Defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria will offer Baghdad a fresh state-building opportunity to correct the mistakes following the ouster of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. As Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds pursue their own interests, a serious effort toward communal understanding is the key to progress.

Rise of the Militiamen

By Renad Mansour / Summer 2017

The end of the strongman era in Iraq has led to the rise of paramilitaries representing sects and ethnicities. Popular Mobilization Units have become part of the state’s official security structure. Although the PMUs have been instrumental in the fight against ISIS, their more powerful militias pose a stark challenge to the country’s future stability.

Scramble for Syria

By Mohammad-Reza Djalili and Thierry Kellner / Summer 2017

Iran’s support for the Al-Assad regime in Damascus has long provided it with a foothold in Lebanon, Palestine, and the rest of the region. But with its deepening role in the Syrian civil war, Tehran is losing hearts and minds in the Arab World.

Saudi Arabia’s Struggle for Sunni Leadership

By Hala Al-Dosari / September 11, 2016

Recent changes to Saudi religious institutions are not a sign of wider reform but an indication of the struggle to redefine Saudi Arabia’s religious character.

The Education of Pope Francis

By Paul Vallely / Summer 2016

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the Roman Catholic pope in 2013, he took his name from Francis of Assisi and dedicated himself to championing the poor. The first non-European pontiff in a thousand years, and the first from the southern hemisphere, he launched his papacy with a condemnation of capitalism’s culture of waste and indifference to poverty.