- 07 Feb 2013
EGYPT IN CRISIS: Political Outlook and Challenges after the Arab Spring
Abstract:
Egypt’s transition to democracy has been anything but smooth. Just when the Egyptians placed their hopes on the Muslim Brotherhood, President Morsi then maneuvered through a constitution that was bitterly opposed both by a majority of the people who elected him. As we reach the two-year anniversary of the initial unrest, violent protests and street battles are now escalating against the Morsi government sparked by the handling of deaths from an earlier soccer riot. What is the current social and political situation in Egypt? What possibilities can unfold for Egyptians in the upcoming months? Two experts on Egypt shared their personal experiences and insights on the Egyptian crisis. Due to the time difference, there were two sessions for each speaker. The morning session was at 10am Singapore Time while the afternoon session was at 4pm Singapore Time.
About the Speakers
SESSION ONE : 10:00am – 12:00pm
Dr Michael Wahid Hanna focuses on issues of international security, human rights, post-conflict justice and U.S. foreign policy in the broader Middle East. In 2008 he was a consultant for Human Rights Watch in Iraq conducting research for a report on the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. Prior to joining The Century Foundation, Hanna was a senior fellow at the International Human Rights Law Institute, where he conducted research on post-conflict justice, victims’ rights under international law, and the Iraqi High Criminal Court. From 1999 to 2004, Hanna practiced corporate law with the New York law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. Prior to attending law school he was a Fulbright Scholar in Cairo, Egypt where he undertook research on the relationship between Egyptian nationalism and Arab nationalism in the inter-war period. Hanna is a term-member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
SESSION TWO : 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Dr H A Hellyer is a nonresident fellow with the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at Brookings. Dr. Hellyer was previously Gallup’s first senior practice consultant to be permanently based in the Middle East, a Ford fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a senior research fellow at the University of Warwick. A United Nations Alliance of Civilizations ‘Global Expert’ in Arab politics, pluralism, religion and security issues in the West and the Arab world, Dr. Hellyer was appointed as deputy convener of the United Kingdom taskforce on tackling radicalization and extremism after the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. He also served as the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) first economic and social research council fellow, within its Islam team and counter-terrorism team. Dr. Hellyer’s expertise has been called upon by different governmental and non-governmental actors including the U.K. House of Commons, the U.S. Departments of State and of Homeland Security, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He has authored several books and monographs, and has contributed more than 20 book chapters and journal articles to various presses. Some of his more recent publications include Muslims of Europe: the ‘Other’ Europeans (Edinburgh University Press, 2009), Engagement with the Muslim Community and Counter-Terrorism: British Lessons for the West (The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, December 2007), and The Chance for Change in the Arab World: Egypt’s Uprising (Chatham House Journal of International Affairs, November 2011).
Event Details
National University of Singapore
469A Bukit Timah Road Tower Block Level 2 Singapore 259770
