Obama on Egypt: more confused than cool
The idea that Obama played it “brilliantly cool” on Egypt represents a spectacular rewriting of history.
Read my spiked article in full here.
This week’s articles of note: post-Mubarak edition
This week’s edition is a post-Mubarak reading list:
“Mubarakism without Mubarak: why Egypt’s military will not embrace democracy,” Foreign Affairs, by Ellis Goldberg
“Why Egypt’s progressives win,” Al Jazeera, by Paul Adam
“Who lost Egypt? Not Obama,” Foreign Policy, by Aaron David Miller
“Mubarak resignation creates vacuum for US in ...
Good riddance to Mubarak, now take on the military
Bye Bye Mubarak from Ramy Rizkallah on Vimeo.
Mubarak is gone – congratulations to the Egyptian people! The video above, shot by Egyptian film-maker Ramy Rizkallah, captures the celebrations shortly after the announcement that Mubarak was stepping down.
Egyptians’ courageous protests have been a ...
Showdown in Egypt: may the people prevail!
Egypt went from festive jubilation to anger last night as Mubarak refused to step down. It was a disappointment felt around the world.
It has become clear that the army is backing the Mubarak-Suleiman regime. The military’s statement today, “communique #2”, said the army will ensure that the reforms will be enacted, including ...
Do the global elite serve the masses?
That’s the motion of the current debate hosted by The Economist. It features Jamie Whyte, who argues “for”, and Daniel Ben-Ami, who argues “against”. This topic was also the conclusion to a January 20th special feature in the magazine on global leaders.
Ben-Ami’s argument is not a simplistic, “the rich are bastards” one. Instead, ...
Focus on banks is a “giant displacement activity”
Last night Rob Killick spoke in a debate in London on whether the big banks should be broken up, along with Kitty Ussher of Demos and Philip Blond of Res Publica, and he has posted the text of his sharp speech on his blog (here).
Killick argues that the focus on banking misses ...
For America, stability trumps freedom
In echoing Mubarak’s call for an “orderly transition”, the US is undermining the fight for democratic rights.
Read my spiked article in full here.
Protesters only in Square for the Kentucky Fried Chicken
The Mubarak regime has spread a ridiculous rumor that the only reason the protesters are staying in Tahrir Square is because foreign powers are providing them with free Kentucky Fried Chicken, reports Robert Mackey in The New York Times. The other rumor spread ...
It’s the US against Egypt’s protesters now
As The New York Times reports , on Saturday the US and other Western powers “threw their weight behind” Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s vice-president, and his efforts to end the protests.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton yesterday urged patience, saying that reform “takes some time,” and adding “there are certain things that ...
This week’s articles of note
“How Cairo, U.S. were blindsided by revolution,” Wall Street Journal, by Charles Levinson, Margaret Coker and Jay Solomon
“How democracy can work in the Middle East,” Time, by Fareed Zakaria
“The West Wing, Season II,” New York, by John Heilemann
“When Irish eyes are crying,” Vanity Fair, by Michael ...
ABOUT SEAN COLLINS
I write about American current affairs for Spiked, the online magazine. I am a native New Yorker, and I divide my time between New York City and upstate New York.
In addition to articles for Spiked, The Australian and other publications, I contributed an essay, "BDS: Demonizing Israel, Destroying Free Speech," for the book Unsafe Space: The Crisis of Free Speech on Campus (2016). I also wrote a chapter on New York City's economy for the book London After Recession: A Fictitious Capital? (2012).
My writings have been cited in American Conservative, Arts & Letters Daily, the Financial Times, Fox News, the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, the New York Times, Real Clear Politics, and the Times of London, among other media.
For more about The American Situation site, go here.
