Foreign Affairs

Morsi’s Guns

Egypt is unsettled but not on the verge of another revolution. Certainly, the country’s unreformed security services have been cause for ongoing protest. But they will also ensure that those riots don’t get out of hand.

The urban poor and unemployed youth continue to take to the streets in Egypt.

Back Street’s Back

The protestors taking to Egypt’s streets are overwhelmingly male, urban, and destitute. They do not have the time or patience to wait for the democratic process to fix their country and its flailing economy. In desperation, they might usher in a second revolution — this one an uprising of the poor.

Gallery: Revolution Graffiti

The 25 January Egyptian Revolution opened the floodgates for a wave of street art, which had been impossible under Mubarak’s regime, where the Ministry of Culture controlled all public expression. The eighteen days of mass revolts that finally toppled the stagnant regime of President Hosni Mubarak became an emotional earthquake for the country. Decades of oppression and despair suddenly were turned into optimism, a newborn vitality and energy, allowing people to explore new freedoms — including the right to make art freely.

The Future of the Arab Spring

On the two-year anniversary of the Arab Spring protesters are taking to the streets again in Egypt. The debate about its successes and shortcomings persists. A look at both sides in our new issue.

The Mirage of the Arab Spring

The Promise of the Arab Spring

How Chemical Weapons Became Taboo: And Why Syria Won’t Overturn the Aversion

Today, it is taken for granted that using chemical weapons — as the Assad regime has reportedly done — is uniquely intolerable. Observers have speculated that humans simply harbor a particular fear of them or that militaries have never considered them useful. In fact, the proscription is the result of decades of international work.

What Happened in Libya

A trove of essays from the last year examine NATO’s intervention in Libya, the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi, the security mess that followed, and what lies ahead for the powder keg that the North African state has become. Read the full collection from Foreign Affairs.

Qaddafi’s Spawn: What the Dictator’s Demise Unleashed in the Middle East

The Libyan leader’s ouster dispersed masses of guns and refugees across the region. Already, Algeria has seen attacks by AQIM militants armed with Libyan weapons, Mali has been rocked by a coup led by armed nomads returning from Libya, Niger is struggling to cope with waves of refugees from Libya and Mali, and Tunisia’s economy has been shattered by the loss of its most important trading partner.

Libya’s Militia Menace: The Challenge After the Elections

Libya’s elections passed peacefully, but observers should have no illusions about the momentous challenges ahead, especially the task of rebuilding and formalizing the country’s security services. During its 16 months in power, the outgoing transitional government walked a fine line between trying to dismantle the country’s regional militias and making use of them as hired guns. The strategy sowed the seeds for the country’s descent into warlordism.

No Brothers in Arms in Egypt - The Muslim Brotherhood Breaks with the Military

The disqualification of ten candidates from Egypt’s presidential race, including the Muslim Brotherhood nominee, has convinced the Brotherhood that the military is conspiring against it to win the election. It’s now attempting to grab power from the army and threatening to take to the streets — potentially sparking a new round in Egypt’s revolution.