Iran Creates False Hope for Renewed Relations With Egypt Iran's semi-official news agency has quoted Mohamed Morsi as saying he will welcome improved relations with "all Islamic countries in the world including Iran," writes Meir Javedanfar. But Iran's Shiite government shouldn't be so quick to declare camaraderie with the new Sunni leader, who has blatanly distanced himself from Iran in the past. Egypt
In Egypt, the Military Adopts Turkish Model to Check Morsi Morsi’s victory in Egypt's presidential election puts Islamists in control an office that was once the exclusive province of the military. But was Sunday's Tahrir Square celebration premature? The military's June 17 decree hedged against a Morsi win by approximating the tutelary role the Turkish military enjoyed until recently. Originals
Egypt's Fractured Political Class Is Outgunned by the Military Thanassis Cambanis writes that Egypt is in a state of near panic as a fractured civilian political class seems determined to bring "lawyers to a gunfight," while the military consolidates its power. He argues that those trends will continue until Egypt's political actors unite to resist the SCAF's miserly handouts of power. Egypt
Egypt's 'Foloul' Out of the Closet After Mubarak was forced to step down, fears of a counter-revolution ran high in Egypt, and "foloul," or people associated with the former regime, were out of favor. Wael Nawara examines the gradual rennaissance of foloul, who are coming to signify a voice of reason amid the chaos of revolution. Originals
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is Dead... Or is He? A quick search on Storify will tell you he "was slipping in and out of a coma," "on life support and close to death," "clinically dead," and "not dead dead, just doing very badly." In yet another example of Twitter declaring people dead before their time, Catherine Cheney rounds up the buzz on the life, or death, of the former dictator. Originals
How the Moscow Talks Are Like 'Seinfeld' Nothing happened. But that might be just fine. Al-Monitor Washington correspondent Barbara Slavin on why talking without any results is better than not talking at all. Originals
On to the Next Round Of Iran Nuclear Talks After two grueling days of nuclear negotiations, diplomats from Iran and six world powers agreed on at least one thing, writes Laura Rozen. They were not yet ready to let the recently re-launched diplomatic process collapse. Iran
US and Russia Finding Ways Around UN Security Council Barbara Slavin writes that both the US and Russia are circumventing the UN Security Council to deal with the worsening crisis in Syria — but neither is making much progress. While Russia tries to organize a group including Iran and excluding the Syrian opposition, the US is working through a “Friends of Syria” group that excludes Russia. Syria
Latest Iran Nuclear Talks Reveal Wide Gaps, ‘Intense and Tough’ For the first time, Iran gave a point-by-point response to an international proposal on halting its 20% enrichment activities on June 18 in Moscow. But international diplomats said the presentation only made the diplomatic challenge of narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the near term more daunting. Iran
Libya's Prisoners Languish Despite Government Takeover More than 300 inmates at the notorious Tajura prison in Libya have been wasting away since last year, writes Mustafa Fetouri. The interim government finally took over the prison in March, but the inmates, including Fetouri's colleague, have yet to see a judge or be charged with an official crime for fear of retaliation from the "revolutionary brigades." Libya
Five Myths About The US-Israeli Relationship The discussion of America's relationship with Israel is fraught with urban legends and misconceptions, writes Aaron David Miller. Some are simply a result of fuzzy thinking while others flow from willful propaganda efforts. Indeed, the latest addition to the mythology is Mitt Romney's recent statement that he'd be the "opposite" of Obama toward Israel. Israel
In Egypt, Lamentations Over a Lost Revolution Steven A. Cook writes that at the moment of truth, the Egyptian military has made a bold move to ensure its interests no matter the results at the ballot box. This moves the historic struggle between the Brotherhood and the military into a new phase that only a new constitution that clearly delimits the powers of both the military and the presidency can resolve. Egypt
Crucial Round of Iran Nuclear Talks Begin in Moscow Diplomats from six nations and Iran have arrived in Moscow ahead of a new round of nuclear talks Monday, writes Laura Rozen from the international meeting. Some American diplomats consider this round of negotiations, which come on the heels of two meetings in April and May, pivotal to determining whether to continue the incremental approach. Originals
Notes From Twitter: Euphoria Subsiding in Egypt Elections Egyptians headed to the polls again this weekend for the final round of presidential elections between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and former Mubarak player Ahmed Shafiq. Catherine Cheney compiles analysis and sentiment from the Twitterverse. Egypt
Saudi Arabia Moves Closer to A New Generation of Leaders The death Saturday of Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz is likely to have little short-term impact on the kingdom, writes Thomas W. Lippman. But it accelerates the transition to a new generation of rulers who may have different ideas about how to rule, deal with neighbors and manage the critical relationship with the US. Saudi Arabia
