Postcolonialism and the Egyptian Dilemma

Hamid Dabashi is one of my favorite authors. His writing prowess is exemplary. I love the way he brings out the rich history of Iranian poetry and literary discourses. The Iranian born guru in Iranian Studies and Comparative literature has written and published an array of academic works in subjects ranging from Iranian Studies, medieval and modern Islam, comparative literature, world cinema, and the philosophy of art (trans-aesthetics). His latest book "The Arab Spring: The End of Postcolonialim" which I read last year provides insights to the Arab Awakening which began in early 2011. The Arab Spring, as it has come to be known started from street protests in Tunisia due to the rising living costs. A young vegetable trader then set himself on fire in act of protest leading to the steamrolling of the protests to many Arab and North African states. The protests saw the ousting of long standing regimes such as that of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Zine El Bedine Ben Ali who was first to run to exile in Saudi Arabia. Hamid Dabashi uses the postcolonial narrative to explain the events of the Arab Spring which three years down the line continue to shape global politics. Renowned Postcolonial theorist Achille Mbembe postulates that what characterizes postcolonial thinking is entanglement and concatenation, unveiled chiefly through its critique of identity and subjectivity which Dabashi also stresses in his book. Dabashi shows how the Arab Spring has altered the geopolitics of the region so radically that we must begin re-imagining the moral map of “the Middle East” afresh.

The Egyptian Revolution of January 25, 2011 saw the end to a thirty year old dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubark, the rapid transition of the country to democracy which has by now been overshadowed by the fall of Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood President elected in a popular vote in June 2012. Continued street protests in Cairo and many other cities across Egypt saw Morsi ousted by the army. This begs the question of what the future holds for Egypt. Egyptian voters overwhelming approved the new constitution in a referendum early January, 2014 with a whooping 98.1%. The new constitution replaces the one imposed by Mohamed Morsi and sees a number of crucial reforms such as presidential term limits, equality between men and women and the ban of ethnic, religious or gender based political parties. 

It is evident that postcolonial discourse is a crucial ingredient to the metamorphism of the Egyptian state and the Arab world as a whole with the revolutions happening there. And as Mbembe observes; postcolonial thinking stresses humanity-in-the-making, the humanity that will emerge once the colonial figures of the inhuman and of racial difference have been swept away. What is happening in Egypt epitomizes Mbembe's thinking. Egypt serves as a mirror to what other African countries will face before they evolve and consolidate democracy. 

For more hindsight to the Arab Spring and Postcolonialism discourse read The Arab Spring: The End of Postcolonialism by Hamid Dabashi. 

Pictures: Egyptian anti-Morsi Protests

 All Pictures Courtesy of Sky News

Protesters call for Morsi ouster

Protesters in Cairo

Large crowds at Tahrir Square

Egypt's military warned it would intervene if the people's demands were not met within 48 hours by President Mohamed Morsi, after millions took to the streets to demand his resignation.

Youthful protesters

Protesters go to the night

 See developing story here

Strategic FP: Iran's foreign minister set to visit Syria on Wednesday

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will visit Syria on Wednesday as part of an international campaign to help resolve the crisis in the Arab country. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

There are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals, mostly from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan.

US, Zionism prime suspects over anti-Islam movie: The Ayatollah

Ayatollah Khamenei

Nicodemus Minde and various sources

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has slammed the antagonistic policies of Zionism and the US as the root cause of the recent production of an American movie desecrating Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). 

This message comes after the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton publicly said that the movie has nothing to do with the US government. Clinton goes on to say the film is "disgusting and reprehensible." She calls it a cynical attempt to offend people for their religious beliefs. Clinton says the U.S. would never stop Americans from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful. And she says the film is no justification for violence or attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel. 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

There is no doubt that the film has been badly received in the Muslim Arab world. Many commentaries have been written on the turnout of the events leading to the storming of various American embassies in the Arab nations and the protests after with. But one thing stands out clearly. There is still a deep seated enmity between the Arab world and the US. Watching one of the leading cable news networks, a protestor in Egypt analyzed the tensions in a very unique way. He publicly condemned the film saying it was an affront to their Prophet (PBUH) and their religion but he also denounced the violent protests. Egyptian President has come under intense criticism for not condemning the violent attacks aimed at the US embassy in Cairo.  As the Ayatollah says, the US and their ally Israel remain as prime suspects.  

Brahimi starts Syria Mission

Via Press TV

The UN and Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has embarked on his mission by holding talks with the Arab bloc's officials in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Brahimi, who replaced Kofi Annan, arrived in Cairo late on Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi, Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr and Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi on Monday. Brahimi is due to leave Cairo for the Syrian capital to meet with President Bashar al-Assad on the second leg of his trip. Annan, the former Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the Arab League on the Syrian crisis, announced on August 2 that he was quitting because of the lack of international support for his peace plan.

On August 17, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Brahimi as the new joint special representative of the UN and the Arab League for Syria to replace Annan.  Brahimi, who was Algeria's foreign minister from 1991 to 1993, also served as the UN envoy in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are behind the unrest while the opposition accuses the security forces of killing protesters. The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.

Iran's Foreign Minister Says Morsi Visit Is a 'Landmark'

 Via Al Monitor

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday that his government will not be offended if Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi spends only a few hours in Iran later this week. In an interview with Al-Monitor and Time Magazine on the sidelines of a conference of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Salehi said the mere “presence” of an Egyptian leader in Iran after decades of estrangement between Iran and Egypt would be a “landmark.” Salehi repeated Iranian offers to help resolve the crisis in Syria — offers that the Barack Obama administration has rejected. The soft-spoken foreign minister, who got his PhD in physics from MIT before the 1979 Iranian revolution and previously served as Iran’s representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, also said he remains optimistic that a “win-win” solution can be found to Iran’s nuclear confrontation with the US and much of the international community despite the current apparent deadlock in talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).