Ahem

A State in Decline Egypt Security Sector Report

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File photo shows US Vice President JD Vance speaking during a Turning Point USA event at Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, on April 14, 2026

US President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on April 18, 2026

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 🇮🇱 🇵🇰 US Vice President JD Vance will lead the US delegation for talks with Iran in Pakistan, a White House official said on Sunday -- shortly after President Donald Trump said he would not make the trip ➡️ u.afp.com/SEEu

Bahrain could strip citizenship for 'compromising security' during war | The National

King Hamad orders review of 'who deserves citizenship and who does not'

Unimaginable barbarism.

CEO of Palantir Says AI Will Seize Power Away From College-Educated Women Palantir CEO Alex Karp said AI would disrupt "humanities trained" and "Democratic voters" who are largely women.

Some techbros are more open about their politics than others. But the politics are pretty similar all round.

I’ve been waiting for this one ever since I heard Chihab present part of it in Cairo! A cultural history of the Egyptian state.

Iran's military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, prompting ships to abandon attempts to transit and President Donald Trump to warn Tehran against trying to "blackmail" the United States. u.afp.com/SEbq

The music of the world's smallest violin played for the weeping billionaires is drowned out by my thundering laughter at the NYT for thinking *property taxes* are the height of class warfare.

The Foundations of Zionism: An epic work of Palestinian scholarship now available in English Translated by his daughter Fidya, the landmark work by Sabri Jiryis arrives in English not as a museum piece, but as an important intervention

My latest book review

In 2023, Yoav Gallant called Palestinians "human animals." This belief is held implicitly or explicitly by much of American society. And American institutions engage with Palestinians on that basis, like our mere presence is an affront to decency.

The butler did it: Elysee worker sentenced for stealing French presidential tableware

u.afp.com/SEXS

Coming up next Thursday on my Substack

Rewriting 1967, Restoring Arab Air Power to History Politics, Doctrine, Collapse on the Road to the June War

The latest installment in my history of the Egyptian Air Force series, reviewing Tom Cooper’s "The June 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War: Prequel and Opening Moves of the Air War"

War Fallout Hits Economy Egypt Security Sector Report

The war is hitting Egypt’s economy hard, even without formal participation.

Inflation up. Currency down. Energy costs exploding. Suez revenues at risk. External lifelines uncertain.

This isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s structural fragility being exposed in real time.

New report:

CPJ calls on Kuwaiti authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, detained under new security and fake news laws.

Read more: cpj.org/2026/04/cpj-...

#FreeAhmed #FreeAhmedEldin

War Fallout Hits Economy Egypt Security Sector Report

The war is hitting Egypt’s economy hard, even without formal participation.

Inflation up. Currency down. Energy costs exploding. Suez revenues at risk. External lifelines uncertain.

This isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s structural fragility being exposed in real time.

New report:

ليومين متتاليين.. تراشق بالحجارة بين أهالي الوراق والشرطة بسبب تضييقات «المعدية» أفرجت الشرطة عن اثنين من أهالي جزيرة الوراق، احتجزتهم في واقعتين منفصلتين خلال اليومين الماضيين، ما تسبب في تراشق بالحجارة بين قوات الأمن وأهالي الجزيرة بالقرب من معدية القللي في حي وراق الحضر. كانت ق...

ليومين متتاليين.. تراشق بالحجارة بين أهالي الوراق والشرطة بسبب تضييقات «المعدية»

Egypt total external debt rises by 5.5% to $161.2 bln at end of June 2025: CBE - Economy - Business Egypt’s total external debt reached $161.2 billion, increasing by approximately 5.5 percent at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2024/2025 (which ended in June 2025), up from almost $158.9 billion at the en...

Egypt total external debt rises by 5.5% to $161.2 bln at end of June 2025: CBE

War Fallout Hits Economy Egypt Security Sector Report

New issue of my weekly newsletter on Egyptian politics

New report dropping tomorrow Monday

Egypt’s Air War in Yemen, 1962–1967 Intervention and the Problem of Distance

The only conflict in which Egypt's paratroopers jumped into combat

Egyptian/Sudanese troops fighting for the French in Mexico, 1860s.

Coming up on Monday, a new issue of my weekly newsletter on Egyptian politics

Israel killed more than 300 in Wednesday strikes on Lebanon - Region - World Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli strikes across the country on Wednesday killed more than 300 people and wounded at least 1,150.

Israel killed more than 300 in Wednesday strikes on Lebanon

Next Thursday, I'll review Tom Cooper’s "The June 1967 Arab-Israeli Six-Day War: Prequel and Opening Moves of the Air War," part of my ongoing series on the history of the Egyptian Air Force

“We should never forget that the current situation in the #MiddleEast began with Biden and his refusal to put pressure on #Israel to act differently in #Gaza.”

Marc Lynch speaking at our 11th Annual Conference, Trump’s Second Term: Upending Democracy, Development, and Diplomacy.

FlyDubai planes are parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport on March 2, 2026.

✈️ Buffeted by six weeks of war in the Middle East, airlines have scrambled to trim routes and costs as fuel bills explode and wary clients think twice about their travel plans, a situation that could persist even if a fragile truce holds.
➡️ u.afp.com/SEZ8

Egypt’s Air War in Yemen, 1962–1967 Intervention and the Problem of Distance

A new installment in my history of the Egyptian Air Force series, looking at the air war during the Yemen intervention (1962-1967)