Egypt's Democratic Promise
Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, is the first democratically elected president of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This result is an important step forward in the current political process, but there are still many problems to be addressed. What powers does the new president really have? And the military? When will a new constitution be approved? And which new institutional equilibriums, which rights and duties will it guarantee? Resetdoc asked former Italian Ambassador to Egypt Francesco Aloisi de Larderel to comment this crucial moment for Egypt.The election of Mohamed Morsi: first impressions
Francesco Aloisi de Larderel
In depth: After the Arab Spring
Algeria: looking to the future while stuck in the past
Andrea Dessì
Celebrations for Algeria’s 50 years of independence began on July 5 and are due to continue in various forms throughout the rest of 2012. Among ordinary Algerian’s, many of which do not recall their country’s bloody eight-year independence struggle against France, feelings are mixed as there is a perception that the government is leaning on Algeria’s past in order to overshadow the many unresolved challenges of the present. As the only country in North Africa to have largely been spared the type of sustained mass protests that engulfed much of the region since early 2011, Algeria is increasingly being described as something of an ‘exception’ across the Arab world. Read more
After the Revolutions: Different Paths to Democracy
Rajeev Bhargava, in a conversation with Giancarlo Bosetti
Many countries in the south-Mediterranean region have been experiencing profound changes in 2011 and 2012, and young Arab democracies will have to deal with problems and debates related to the relationship between religion and democracy, Islam and secularism, citizenship and the rights of minorities. People will have to chose between new or maybe existing “models” of democracy: will they chose to live in a secular democracy? If yes, which kind of secularism will they chose? Or will people rather prefer to build a “religious democracy?” To address these questions, Resetdoc has interviewed Rajeev Bhargava, currently Senior Fellow and Director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi. He has previously been a Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi. He has been a fellow and visiting professor in many international universities, including Harvard and Columbia University. His research and publications focus on secularism, multiculturalism, political theory and India’s democracy. Read more
A New Marshall Plan for Tunisia
An interview with Radwan Masmoudi
Radwan Masmoudi is the director of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. A dual Tunisian-American citizen, he has worked tirelessly to improve cooperation between the two countries and to promote a moderate vision for the co-existence of democracy and Islam. As the Arab world’s best candidate for democracy, Tunisia is seen as a crucial test case – the success or failure of Tunisian democracy, Masmoudi believes, could create either a pro- or an anti- democratic wave across the Arab world. “In the end, democracy has to deliver,” he says. “It has to improve the economic situation of the people. So this is the real test: Freedom has to improve the quality of citizen’s lives.” A year after Tunisia’s unprecedented revolution, the economic turbulence threatens to spoil the democratic experiment and possibly represent a fatal setback to democratization in the Arab world. To address this risk, Masmoudi is promoting an ambitious plan to ensure Tunisia’s success: a New Marshall Plan for economic development, on the order of 5 billion dollars for 5 years. Read more
The Arab Spring seen from the Gulf
Alma Safira
While in North Africa the Arab Spring seems to be experiencing a “post-revolutionary” phase of maturity with citizens demanding results following the uprisings, in the Persian Gulf countries the “Arab Spring” is still in an embryonic form with uncertain prospects and results. The absence of democracy in the Gulf assumes various forms of government, ranging from sultanates to emirates and kingdoms, however, in different ways all the citizens in this region have challenged their governments. In Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, those in power have felt the need to protect themselves and to do so have often resorted to force. Read more
Libya, hope for the future?
Farid Adly talks to Ilaria Romano
In his book entitled The Libyan Revolution, from the Benghazi Uprising to Gaddafi’s Death, published in Italian, the Libyan journalist and author Farid Adly, who has lived in Italy for years, narrates the crucial months that in 2011 changed the course of events in the country. 50% of the author’s rights are used to contribute to the founding of the first Libyan ARCI club in Benghazi. “The uprising in Libya changed everything and it ended dramatically with the violent death of the dictator Gaddafi,” says Farid Adly, “but it also marked the beginning of something new, because my country has gained its freedom.” Read more
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