Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned on Feb. 11 after weeks of peaceful protests. USIP takes a comprehensive look at the situation and its implications.
UPDATED: February 15, 2011
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned on Feb. 11 after weeks of peaceful protests. USIP takes a comprehensive look at the situation and its implications.
- Latest USIP Analysis
- Read what our experts have to say on the role of social media, the economic situation in Egypt, and more
- Track USIP's appearances in the news
- See what USIP Press has to offer
- Read about the Grant program's work in Egypt and apply for a USIP grant
- Watch, read, and download more on this subject from USIP
- Read a snapshot of USIP's work on Egypt
Latest Analysis from USIP
- Jason Gluck on "Egypt, Tunisia, and the Constitutional Movement"
February 28, 2011 | News Feature - Middle East and congressional expert Graeme Bannerman shares his views on on the role of the Egyptian military. .
February 15, 2011 | On the Issues - Steven Heydemann explores the new possibilities and evolving situation in Egypt.
February 14, 2011 | On the Issues - Abiodun Williams reflects on Mubarak's departure and Egypt's transition.
February 14, 2011 | On the Issues - Robin Wright looks at what Mubarak's resignation means for the region.
February 11, 2011 | News Feature
Expert Commentary
Importance of Early Warning
February 11, 2011
The crisis in Egypt sparked debates about whether the U.S. government failed to anticipate the events or if policymakers were warned but failed to respond adequately. USIP’s Lawrence Woocher comments on these debates and the role of early warning in preventing conflict and instability.
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Eye on Egypt
February 2, 2011
After Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s speech Tuesday, new waves of violence arose in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and elsewhere in the country, as Mubarak's supporters clashed with opposition demonstrators. In Washington, DC, President Barack Obama said a peaceful transition must happen – now.
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Is Egypt 'Too Big to Fail'?
February 1, 2011 | Raymond Gilpin
USIP's Raymond Gilpin examines the economic implications of the protests.
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The Impact of Social Media in Egypt
January 31, 2011 | Sheldon Himelfarb
Last Friday, Internet access was cut off and mobile phone service was severely disrupted in Egypt, according to news reports. USIP’s Sheldon Himelfarb discusses the role of social media in Egypt’s protests, and how it compares to other recent media-connected movements.
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Prospects for a Democratic Revolution in Egypt
January 31, 2011 | Dan Brumberg
USIP’s Dan Brumberg provides updated analysis of the current crisis in Egypt. Are there parrallels between Iran’s Green Revolution and the protest in Tunisia? Will Egypt's military take a side?
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Egypt's Warning Signs
January 31, 2011 | Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen
Expert Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen puts the protests in Egypt and in the region into context and discusses their historical and religious significance.
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Former U.S. Ambassador on Initial Days of Protest
January 27, 2011 | Daniel C. Kurtzer
Former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Daniel C. Kurtzer discusses the demonstrations and protests in Egypt.
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Shibley Telhami on Egypt
January 27, 2011 | Shibley Telhami
Egyptian police crack down on the second day of protests. Shibley Telhami, former USIP Board Member (2000-2002) and member of the Senior Working Group on Middle East Peace, talks to USIP about the situation in Egypt.
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Egypt Today: Historical Context of the Protests
January 27, 2011 | Qamar-ul Huda
USIP's Qamar-ul Huda, author of "The Crescent and Dove," discusses the protest's context and outlook in Egypt.
USIP In the News
USIP experts are frequently quoted in the news. Here are some excerpts of our commentary on Egypt in the media. See a complete listing of USIP in the news.
February 23, 2011
Mona Yacoubian wrote an article for the Middle East Channel advising Egyptians to look to Algiers and Beirut for lessons learned during their periods of transition.
February 14, 2011
Qamar-ul Huda was quoted in the McClatchy Tribune Services article, “If democratice Egypt emerges, it would be blow to al-Qaida” on Egypt, the Middle East, and Islamic groups.
February 13, 2011
Steven Heydemann’s book, “Upgrading Authoritarianism in the Arab World," was cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education article “Why Mideast Tumult Caught Scholars by Surprise.”
February 13, 2011
Senior Fellow Robin Wright discussed Egypt and the implications for the broader Middle East on Meet the Press.
February 2, 2011
Mona Yacoubian authored a contributing opinion article in Politico on the demonstrations in Egypt and the implications for the region.
Februar 1, 2011
Qamar-ul Huda was quoted on Egypt's opposition in the PBS NewHour Online article, "Players in Egypt's Opposition Movement."
USIP Press
- Read the book "Conflict, Identity and Reform in the Muslim World" by editor Dan Brumberg. This book, published by USIP Press in 2009, highlights the challenges that escalating identity conflicts within Muslim-majority states pose for both the Muslim world and for the West, an issue that has received scant attention in policy and academic circles. The book also contains a chapter by famed scholar Dina Shehata on the opposition movement. Shehata explains how the Egyptian government staved off the broad-based mobilization of opposition movements for nearly 30 years by exploiting divisions among Islamist and non-Islamist groups.
USIP Grants
Social networking is in the forefront of the Egypt story. The USIP Grants Program funds work with young Middle Eastern bloggers seeking to promote interfaith dialogue in their local communities. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies implemented a training program for young Egyptians focusing on democracy, political reform, and human rights. USIP grantees have conducted studies on aspects of democratic development in the Middle East including a study of the impact of satellite television entertainment on democracy. Also, together with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USIP co-published Nathan Brown and Amr Hamzawy’s book, "Between Religion and Politics"-- a study that explores the political activism of Islamist movements in several Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt.
USIP grantees in the U.S. and around the world are working on transitions to democracy in the Arab world -- a field that USIP has nurtured for many years through grantees working at Emory University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University, Eastern Michigan University, Princeton University, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, Yale University, College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the London School of Economics.
Many of USIP's grantees have written about opposition politics in Egypt. USIP highly recommends:
- Nathan Brown and Amr Hamzawy’s article on "The Draft Party Platform of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood: Foray Into Political Integration of Retreat Into Old Positions"
- International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) on "Public Funding Solutions for Political Parties in Muslim-Majority Societies," 2009.
More Information:
- Read about the Grants program
- Apply to the Annual Grant Competition
- Apply to the Priority Grant Competition
Additional Resources
- PeaceWatch: Media, Technology & Conflict
Winter 2011 - Blogs and Bullets: New Media in Contentious Politics
Peaceworks, September 2010 - Advancing New Media Research
Special Report, September 2010 - Online Discourse in the Arab World: Dispelling the Myths
Peace Brief, December 2009 - Watch a Video: Online Discourse in the Arab World
June 2009