Hopes have nearly evaporated for a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in less than six weeks, for that is when Ethiopia wants to start blocking the flow of water to Sudan and Egypt to (...)
As the Turkish experience of democratisation and Islamist party rule becomes more and more influential, what lessons does this model have for post-revolutionary Egypt, asks Hassan Abu Taleb
The Turkish model of applying democratic government has (...)
On the back of comprehensive political, social and economic revival, Turkey -- unresolved issues notwithstanding -- is likely to cement its regional role, writes Hassan Abu Taleb *
Turkey is a country with many wishes, some of which are (...)
While in 2010 Ankara continued to make inroads as a regional power, the Iran dilemma has shown how fragile its foreign policy orientations are, writes Hassan Abu Taleb
The closing months of 2010 reveal the probable directions Turkey will take in (...)
Egypt has had a multi-party system since 1976, and yet there is consensus that all parties except the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have no influence in the political scene. It is true that there are currently 23 legal parties, boasting (...)
Saudi Arabia is determined to teach the Al-Houthi rebels along its border with Yemen a lesson they will not forget, writes Hassan Abu Taleb
Wars always have a definitive beginning; you can pinpoint the day, sometimes the hour, they broke out. The (...)
For once, writes Hassan Abu Taleb*, positive signs are coming out of Sudan
It is refreshing to hear about Darfur not in a context of despair but in one of hope. For once we are able to believe the Sudanese government when it claims that security has (...)
Hassan Abu Taleb* celebrates 20 years of The Arab Strategic Report
The Arab Strategic Report is 20 years old. The release of the 2004/05 report marks the 20th anniversary of this annual publication. The expertise and effort that goes into this (...)
In altering the rules governing presidential elections President Mubarak has redrawn the nation's political life, writes Hassan Abu Taleb*
The peaceful coup President Mubarak has staged will change the face of Egyptian politics for years to come. (...)
Hassan Abu Taleb* examines the implications of the series of leaks from the International Atomic Energy Agency
A cloud of mystery surrounds the purported discovery of plutonium, which is used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, near an Egyptian (...)
Elections in Iraq are no replacement for national reconciliation, argues Hassan Abu Taleb*
The Sharm El-Sheikh conference may have encouraged the emergence of at least some international and regional consensus but it did little for the national (...)
As international pressure mounts for reform in the Arab world, Hassan Abu Taleb analyses the preconditions for lasting change
One year on from the occupation of Iraq, the political and intellectual debate in the Arab world now revolves around the (...)
Hassan Abu Taleb* explores the remarkable continuity in Yasser Arafat's relationship with Egypt
For more than three decades a state of political communion has existed between Egypt and Yasser Arafat. Arafat was born in Egypt 75 years ago and studied (...)
Arab intellectuals talk about reform but don't want to think about Islamism, writes Hassan Abu Taleb*
"Arab reform" has turned into a catchphrase. It is the subject of initiatives coming from the four corners of the earth, the inspiration for a (...)
Cairo's silence over Sudan's secretive peace deal speaks louder than words, writes Hassan Abu Taleb*
In an unusual sequence of events, the Sudanese vice president recently arrived in Cairo only to leave again, three days later, without having met (...)