Been a while

After a brief hiatus (basically all last semester) – I’m back in the blogosphere! I’m starting my second semester working for the Middle East Studies Program (MESP), based near Jerusalem, Israel.

Let me give you a quick update on recent stuff I’ve run across.

What’s up in Egypt?

I spent a couple weeks in Cairo in December – it’s pretty interesting to be there at the moment because Egypt has just completed it’s first free and fair parliamentary election process in at least 30 years. As some Western journalists and policy wonks predicted, the Muslim Brotherhood, a political party/social organization that roots its identity in adherence to Islamic teaching, has been cleaning house. Surprisingly, another more religiously conservative party known as Al Nour (the light) has also been doing very well – this party has most of the Egyptians I’ve talked to worried.

I enjoyed walking around a little bit in the neighborhood of Agouza, the former home of MESP, and looking at campaign posters. Each candidate had a symbol for the benefit of folks who are illiterate – these ranged from a basketball, a grand piano, and a hammer to the scales of justice.

It’s unclear yet what a Brotherhood-dominated government will look like, and how much power elected officials will have in relation to the military – all that remains to be seen. It’s definitely an interesting moment in Egypt’s history though, as a party that has been repressed since it’s founding in 1928 has made serious gains in a genuine election.

At the tail end of my trip to Cairo, there was some continued noise from Tahrir Square, where people had continued to gather to demand a swifter transfer of power from the military to civilian control. Other than that, things seemed about the same as when I had left, aside from the political conversation on the street. I haven't heard much about the Square since then; I think most people are waiting to see what a new government will look like. There IS a lot of concern among Christians in Egypt; they were already in a delicate situation during the Mubarak era, and are now feeling even more vulnerable.

What’s up in Israel?

Israel made home-page news on CNN a couple weeks ago with a story that has exposed a rift in Israeli society. In the view of many Israelis, the Ultra-Orthodox community receives an unfair level of special treatment – they are not required to serve in the military like other Israeli citizens, and they receive other government benefits. They mostly mind their own business, but recently they have been coming under scrutiny for their views toward women in society. This is just one issue that is hot here – there are loads of them, even discounting the ever-present political tension between Israel and the Palestinians. Things seem pretty quiet, and there have been some recent peace talks going on, but no one’s expecting any kind of breakthrough at the moment.

What’s up with MESP?

I’m very excited about this semester, which began on January 11. This is our second semester based here in Israel and my second semester working for the program – I feel much more prepared this time around!

I’m also trying to use this opportunity to learn more, as it may be my last for a while to come to the Middle East. I think our schedule this semester will help me with that; we are getting to delve deeper into some things that have peaked my interest but that I haven’t had the chance to follow up on yet. I’ll be posting about them as we go along!