Steven A. Cook

From the Potomac to the Euphrates

Cook examines developments in the Middle East and their resonance in Washington.

A New Presidential Authority in Egypt

by Steven A. Cook
An Egyptian man walks past a defaced giant statue of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the outskirts of Cairo (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters) An Egyptian man walks past a defaced giant statue of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the outskirts of Cairo (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters)

Below is my take on Egypt’s presidential elections, scheduled for May 23, originally published here on CFR.org. I hope you find it interesting. 

Over the last sixteen months, Egypt has experienced wrenching economic problems, continuing street protests, spasms of violence, and a noticeable deterioration of state authority. Yet these challenges have not, as some have warned, undermined the promise of Tahrir Square in the eyes of many Egyptians. To be sure, the revolutionary activists have lost their luster, the liberals have proven themselves too fragmented to be an effective political force, and the labor movement–a potentially potent bloc–has yet to make a full impact on the political arena. Read more »

Egypt’s Real Crisis: The Dual Epidemics Quietly Ravaging Public Health

by Steven A. Cook
Children walk past livestock that died from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) placed by farmers outside a veterinary centre during a protest in Ibsheway el-Malaq (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters). Children walk past livestock that died from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) placed by farmers outside a veterinary centre during a protest in Ibsheway el-Malaq (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters).

My colleague Laurie Garrett and I wrote this piece on the threat of foot and mouth disease in Egypt, which can be read in full here on The Atlantic. I hope you find it interesting. Read more »

Weekend Reading: Partnering With Turkey, Subordinating the Turkish Military, and Lamenting Abbasiya

by Steven A. Cook
A man reads a newspaper with a story about the new ministers that have been put in the Tunisian government, at a street kiosk in downtown Tunis (Louafi Larbi/Courtesy Reuters). A man reads a newspaper with a story about the new ministers that have been put in the Tunisian government, at a street kiosk in downtown Tunis (Louafi Larbi/Courtesy Reuters).

CFR’s recently released Independent Task Force on Turkey, co-chaired by Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley, and directed by Steven A. Cook. Read more »

Schmoozing Egypt

by Steven A. Cook
A protester flashes victory signs with his fingers in front of a giant Egyptian national flag at Tahrir Square in Cairo (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters). A protester flashes victory signs with his fingers in front of a giant Egyptian national flag at Tahrir Square in Cairo (Amr Dalsh/Courtesy Reuters).

Over the course of the last month, I have had a fascinating conversation with Adam Garfinkle, the editor of The American Interest, about Egyptian politics and society.  Below please find an excerpt.  You can read a transcript of the entire conversation here.   Read more »

Weekend Reading: Action, but No Reaction in Syria, Morocco’s “Miracle,” and Cairo-Riyadh Blues

by Steven A. Cook
An Egyptian youth reads a newspaper in a cafe in Cairo (Suhaib Salem/Courtesy Reuters). An Egyptian youth reads a newspaper in a cafe in Cairo (Suhaib Salem/Courtesy Reuters).

Itamar Rabinovich says the United States is substituting symbolic action for real action in Syria–at the detriment of the Syrian people.

Aboubakr Jamai explains the Moroccan “miracle” of mild authoritarianism. Read more »

The Wages of the Sinai

by Steven A. Cook
An Israeli Cobra helicopter fires missiles at targets (Amir Cohen/Courtesy Reuters) An Israeli Cobra helicopter fires missiles at targets (Amir Cohen/Courtesy Reuters)

I remember in 2008 sitting in the office of Abdel Monem Said Aly who at the time was the director of the Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies when the subject of the Sinai came up. It was a few months’ time after Hamas had blown a hole in the wall that separates Gaza from the Egyptian frontier, resulting in thousands of Palestinians rushing into the Sinai to buy supplies and seek medical care.  Abdel Monem was not unmoved by the plight of the Palestinians, but he was clearly worried about Egyptian security.  He asked me what I thought would happen if a Palestinian extremist group were able to infiltrate Israel from the Sinai and carry out some sort of deadly attack.  “How would Israel respond?” Abdel Monem asked rhetorically.  He knew that the Israelis would respond, but how, where, and to what extent were unknowns that clearly unsettled him.  At one end of the escalation ladder, the Israelis military might try to push into the Sinai much like the Israel Defense Force’s periodic advances in Lebanon or the Turkish military’s incursions into northern Iraq.  This would no doubt put the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and thus Egyptian security in jeopardy. Perhaps the Israelis would use some other tactic, but either way this would create a terrible security dilemma for Egypt’s leaders.  The Egyptians could absorb the blow and be forced to confront additional opprobrium of their people or they could respond and risk a conflict with Israel that they would likely lose. Read more »

Egypt: Constitutional Principles?

by Steven A. Cook
Mohamed Mursi, head of Muslim Brotherhood's political party, and Brotherhood's new presidential candidate, talks during interview with Reuters in Cairo (Asmaa Waguih/Courtesy Reuters) Mohamed Mursi, head of Muslim Brotherhood's political party, and Brotherhood's new presidential candidate, talks during interview with Reuters in Cairo (Asmaa Waguih/Courtesy Reuters)

Egypt continues to be extraordinarily interesting.  As I write, we are expecting a cabinet reshuffle, there are rumors that Mohamed Morsi—the Muslim Brotherhood/Freedom and Justice Party candidate for president—will pull out of the race if the Brothers get a place in the new government, the Salafi al Nour party endorsed Abdel Monem Aboul Fotouh for president, and Mohamed ElBaradei has returned to the political arena with the formation of the Constitution Party.  All this occurred in a single weekend, which really isn’t the astonishing thing about these developments.  Rather, it is astonishing that Egypt has had more than a few weekends like this since Hosni Mubarak’s flight to Sharm El Sheikh in February 2011.  The last four weeks or so, in particular, have been a real barnburner as Egyptians gear up for the presidential election slated for May 23.  Throughout the ups and downs and twists and turns of Egyptian politics during the last 16 months observers—including myself—have held fast to a number of assumptions that form the basis of what’s become a standard narrative about the future of Egypt.  Yet, it is entirely unclear after all that has happened since the promising days and weeks after the uprising that these ideas reflect reality. Read more »

Weekend Reading: Women in the Arab World, Engaging Islamists, and the Great Wall of Israel

by Steven A. Cook
Ultra-orthodox Jewish youths study the Talmud, a rabbinic interpretation of biblical law, inside their school's synagogue in Bnei Brak (Gil Cohen Magen/Courtesy Reuters) Ultra-orthodox Jewish youths study the Talmud, a rabbinic interpretation of biblical law, inside their school's synagogue in Bnei Brak (Gil Cohen Magen/Courtesy Reuters)

A compilation of reactions to Mona el-Tahawy’s controversial piece, “Why Do They Hate Us?”.

Quinn Mecham writes a policy brief for POMED on a strategy for sustained engagement with Islamist parties. Read more »

Civil-Military Relations in Turkey, Objectively Speaking

by Steven A. Cook
Turkish officers stand at attention during an official ceremony to mark the 88th anniversary of Republic Day at Anitkabir in Ankara (Umit Bektas) Turkish officers stand at attention during an official ceremony to mark the 88th anniversary of Republic Day at Anitkabir in Ankara (Umit Bektas)

Since January, I’ve written a few posts on fascinating developments in Turkey’s civil-military relations.  It is a critical and evolving story that will have long-lasting effects on Turkey’s political development.  Please let me know what you think. Read more »

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