On March 26, fewer than 1 million Egyptians approved, in a national referendum, momentous changes in their Constitution. Local and international groups and observers dismissed the government's claims that more than 27 percent of all registered (...)
Pan-Arabists who yearn to end the region's injustices should think again before siding with militant Islamists whose agenda is radically different, writes Hala Mustafa*
Since the bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh, Arab satellite networks have been abuzz (...)
Democratisation is not only about amending constitutions or securing free elections; it is also about opening political and cultural values, indeed history, to scrutiny, writes Hala Mustafa*
There is always a time when a given political system (...)
Momentum towards change cannot be stopped, but a clear vision, on all levels, is vital if the opportunities are to be grasped, writes Hala Mustafa*
The Arab political state is always described as chronically stagnant; that is to say, irresponsive, (...)
Hala Mustafa* explores obstacles to political reform
"The only thing we should fear is fear itself." This statement set me thinking as I was turning the pages of an article on renewing political party life in the Arab world. Renewal is a synonym for (...)
Calls for reform that focus exclusively on constitutional amendments, and the office of the presidency, are misguided, writes Hala Mustafa*
It is all too easy to over-simplify issues and in doing so divorce them from any meaningful context. The (...)
Contrary to black and white depictions, Hala Mustafa* argues that the state is the cornerstone of reform
The following conveys the essence of views expressed by the writer during a recent encounter with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Few topics (...)
There is nothing generic that disqualifies Arab nations from being democracies, but changes must occur, with a vision upheld, writes Hala Mustafa*
Historical upheavals, indeed many of the turning points in human civilisation, were once but visions (...)