A few days ago Egypt facilitated and hosted a meeting between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo. It was largely viewed as a public relations move to legitimize the Palestinian push for statehood through the United Nations, as well as boost Egyptian image. There is serious doubt about the sincerity of the unification attempt and many view Egypt’s endeavor in moving this process along as provocation towards Israel.
It is puzzling and troubling that the interim Egyptian regime did not feel the need to consult with Israel before independently taking on this enormously complicated and controversial task, one that will probably fail in the end. Egypt knew that Israel would reject the meeting based on its stance toward Hamas, but moved ahead anyway. This is the second questionable act by Egypt since its revolution. The first being the allowance of Iranian ships to pass through the Suez Canal in February.
The passage through the Suez Canal was an expression of a new Egyptian power and a symbol of change. However, this recent muscle flexing by deceptively taking on Palestinian reconciliation, given the country’s own national instability, is even more concerning. There is also growing anxiety about Egypt’s possible opening of the Rafah border with Gaza.
It was expected that Egypt would loosen its alliance with Israel. Many Egyptians viewed former ruler Hosni Mubarak as too willing to help Israel on Israeli terms. But, what originally felt like mere adjustments by the interim Egyptian regime, in terms of Israeli policies, is beginning to feel like a complete reassessment of the relationship.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
