Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

The Egyptian Experience in Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic: Between Politics and the Media

Egypt In dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, the Egyptian government tended to focus more on the message communicated via the media and political considerations than on the professional and scientific dimensions of the pandemic – despite their presence at times. The government also witnessed the emergence of a social dichotomy in dealing with the pandemic and in holding other communities responsible for its spread. The Egyptian media dealt with the Covid-19 challenge at multiple levels related to demonstrating the strength and presence of the state as well as its ability to combat internal and external dangers. The suddenness of the…

COVID-19 pandemic: Does the mainstream public policies system achieve protection for all?

Mohamed ElAgati ,Nissaf Brahim ,Shimaa ElSharkawy ,Zainab SrourrEgypt ,Lebanon ,TunisiaExecutive summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has put the world in front of many challenges regarding public policies and state responses to the spread of the pandemic. This as well has led to raising multiple concerns concerning fair and equitable public service provision and the process of doing that with accordance to social justice values. This paper examines the three cases of Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon, in public policies and state responses in facing the pandemic. It attempts to test the ability of countries in the region to provide services at times…

Populism and alternative discourse: The case of the Arab region

Despite the abundance of studies that tackled the Arab region, there are still many issues that require deeper analysis and a more comprehensive insight. The different political and social changes, many of which are radical and multifaceted, through which the region has been going underlines the necessity of looking for new approaches and reconsidering concepts that have for a long time dominated academic circles and are possibly no longer valid. Such changes give rise to a number of questions that have never been posed before. For a long time, and not without reason, we got accustomed to a conviction that…

COVID-19 and the crisis of democracy

Mohamed ElAgati ,Shorouk Al Hariri In late December 2019, the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In early 2020, the virus had reached dozens of countries, and by April 2020, the virus had infected around three million and killed more than 200 thousand1. In late January, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of emergency2 and shortly after the virus was declared a pandemic3. Countries closed their borders and airports and global aviation ground to a halt and governments imposed either curfew or total lockdown in addition to other procedures that were characterized by centralization…

Youth and the Arab Spring: Same demands and different paths

Shimaa El Sharkawy ,Shimaa ElSharkawyEgypt ,Jordan ,Lebanon ,Morocco ,Tunisia Introduction: The role played by Arab youth in the protest movements that started in 2010 is undeniably pivotal in steering the wheel for change towards democratic transformation in countries of the region. However, in their pursuit for democratic transformation, Arab youth were met by multiple challenges and drawbacks that influenced the fulfillment of their demands on the ground. Most analysts divide the “Arab Spring” into waves the first wave that started with Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, etc. Moreover, the second wave that started with Algeria, Sudan and Lebanon. In both waves, the…

Sudan protests and the prospects of change

Omar Samir Khalaf ,Shimaa El Sharkawy ,Shimaa ElSharkawyIntroduction: Throughout its history, Sudan witnessed two successful revolutions, one in 1964 and another in 1986, and went through a number of incomplete democratic transitions. Under Bashir’s 30-year rule, several uprisings erupted against his economic policies or his wars on several regions including Darfur or South Sudan. With the eruption of Arab Spring revolutions, limited student protests were staged on January 30, 2011 against corruption, price hikes, and the uncertainty of the country’s future in the wake of South Sudan’s secession. The protests mainly took place at the universities of Khartoum and Omdurman.…

Political Development Crises in the Arab Region: Between Theory and the Implications of Mobility

Omar Samir KhalafEgypt ,Jordan ,Lebanon ,Morocco ,TunisiaMohammed El-Agati, Mina Samir Gabi, Omar Samir Khalaf, Shimaa El-Sharkawy, Yasmin Ayman. The book consists of five-chapters, published by the Arab Forum for Alternatives in 2019. After nearly nine years of Arab mobility, attempting to analyze the five political development crises (identity crisis, participation crisis, distribution crisis, penetration crisis, and crisis of legitimacy) and its impact on The Arab Spring affected by it, because the Arab Spring has raised questions related to these crises in different formats. The first chapter written by Mohammed Al-Agati deals with the crisis of identity as a complex concept,…

Civil Society in the Arab Region: Post-movements changes and Challenges

Arab Forum for AlternativesEgypt ,Lebanon ,Morocco ,TunisiaMohammed El Agati, Shimaa El Sharkawy, Asmaa Falhi, Riad Al-Subuh, Omar Samir Khalaf, Mohammed Sahbi Al-Khalafawi, Emad Sheikh Dawoud, Riad Issa, Haneen Ali, Mustafa Nasr In recent years, there have been many studies on the relationship of civil society in the Arab region with changes on the scene, and its effects on the movement witnessed in the region about ten years ago, Among them are those who see it as a key partner in making this movement, while others focus on the interaction of civil society organizations with this movement. However, this study attempts…

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