It has been a long time since I had a chance to write. Lev and I were traveling in Europe for all of August and then trying to recover from the trip for the last two weeks! We had a great trip and made plans to live in many other foreign cities in the near and far future. One of the most interesting parts of our trip was returning to Syria after our summer in Cairo. I wasn't sure how noticeable the differences between the two countries would be; I figured the craziness that characterizes the Cairene streets would have its Damascene equivalent. But it did not. The streets in Damascus were spotless and the microbuses ran like clockwork. I walked on the sidewalks and no one stared at me obscenely or otherwise. And generally people seemed happier and healthier. It seems more and more to me that these superficial signs can be read as signals of the health of the regime. Yes, in both countries the military is the strongest institution; however, whereas in Syria the officers stand on most corners in clean, smart uniforms, seemingly ready for anything, in Egypt they sit slumped inside their post or car waiting for the shift to end. Or, as another example, the street sweepers in Damascus actually sweep. The Syrian regime has truly been able to reach down into the society and regulate the various levels and going-ons of Syrian society. Unlike in Egypt, where everyday you have to ask yourself how it is possible for things to continue as they do, Syria does not feel like it is on the edge of some unknown change or implosion.

Looking ahead: Will Mubarak run in the next elections or will his son take his place at the head of the National Democratic Party? Will the Muslim Brotherhood participate or boycott and will their choice have any impact on the country's internal politics?

Fustat Crafts Center

Photos from the CASA trip to the Fustat Crafts Center in Cairo.

Night view of Cairo

Here are a few photos of Zamalek at night. The skyscrapers are along the Nile, which is unfortunately not visible from our apartment.

Protests and Elections

There are lots of protests here. But so far no significant movement on political reform or the lifting of the Emergency Law. Parliamentary elections are in October 2010 and presidential in early 2011. I heard Nathan Brown speak a few weeks before moving here and he emphasized that the Muslim Brotherhood was at a critical point after experiencing success in the 2005 elections but then being largely banned from participating in the 2007 and 2008 elections. It will be interesting to see how the Muslim Brotherhood navigates the upcoming elections (and how the government deals with the Brothers) and what position the Obama regime will take in terms of placing pressure on Mubarak to open up the elections. Adam Shatz offers an interesting view on the subject, stating that both the Mubarak regime and the Muslim Brotherhood "have reason to portray the Brothers as the only real alternative to the regime." According to Shatz, for the government the image of a Muslim Brotherhood electoral victory allows them to appeal to the West and evade any pressure for democratization. For the Muslim Brotherhood, it allows them to maintain their influence in Egypt and avoid total annihilation at the hands of the Egyptian security services.

Like Shatz, I have heard a few different names for the presidential race if the aging Mubarak decides not to run: Gamal Mubarak, his son; Omar Suliman, head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services and one of the lead negotiators between Fatah and Hamas; and finally, Mohammed ElBaradei, the previous Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. 2010-2011 will be an interesting year to test Shatz's theory that the National Democratic Party, Mubarak's party, and the Muslim Brotherhood have a shared interest in limiting the role of any other opposition party or movement, particularly in light of Brown's observation of growing frustration among the Brothers following what they view as a political re-stagnation since the 2005 parliamentary elections.

Egyptian Museum

I went to the Egyptian Museum yesterday for the first time and it was, as everyone says it is, an overwhelming experience. There are tons of incredible statues and mummies and busts. And at the same time it is not very well organized or well marked. There is so much history and no museum big enough to capture it all. However, we had a great AUC guide who took us through the museum somewhat chronologically and gave us a great overview of how ancient Egyptian art developed. We saw a selection of King Tut's treasures (and if anyone is trying to think of a gift for me, a pair of King Tut earrings would be great...). And it turns out that James Patterson's guess at King Tut's murder in his recent (bad) book is not that far off from what experts now think happened.

Last night I watched the USA-Ghana soccer match. It seems like Egyptians are really split over their soccer preferences. In my discussions with taxi drivers, all of them wish Egypt were in the World Cup and a number supported the USA against Algeria simply because they still have a strong hatred for Algeria since Algeria beat Egypt last year. The rest supported Algeria because they felt obligated by their Arab nationalist sentiments to support the only Arab representative. Last night was very similar--it seemed like most were supporting Ghana because of African unity and the desire to see Africa represented in the next round. Qaddafi must be proud. Although I wanted the USA to win, now I am supporting Ghana against all the European and South American teams. Y’alla Africa!