SIPA Faculty Weigh In on Events in Egypt

Events in Egypt have been dominating the news and many of our faculty have been asked to weigh in by various media sources.  Below are some perspectives from SIPA faculty members in recent weeks.

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Gary Sick talks about the military ties between the U.S. and Egypt
TIME, January 30, 2011

NPR, February 3, 2011
“All the people picking up tear gas canisters that said Made in the USA. And the jets that fly overhead that buzz the crowds are American F-16s. That sends a particular message on where the United States stands on this whole thing.”

Thanassis Cambanis puts Egypt in a historical context
NPR, February 2, 2011
Adjunct professor and former Middle East correspondent Thanassis Cambanis said, “All of our assumptions about the Arab world have been turned on their heads in the past month. … What’s been happening, first in Lebanon and then in Tunisia, and now in Egypt, and who knows further afield, suggests that new forces have been unleashed, and we have no idea where they might lead and what new dynamics they might create.”

Joseph Stiglitz on the global impact of the Egyptian protests
Bloomberg TV, February 2, 2011
“In terms of the global economic impact, it’s likely at least in the short run to be mostly felt through oil.”

Richard K. Betts on the role of the CIA in Egypt
Washington Post, January 28, 2011
“The priority is collection and analysis about what’s going on. Our capacity to shape events by more active measures, such as covert action to support moderate elements of the opposition, is probably minimal, and more likely to backfire than to control events.”

Patricia Mechael: Relatives’ experience in Egypt “petrifying”
Washington Post, February 2, 2011
Adjunct professor Patricia Mechael said, “One of my cousins’ cars was lit on fire. My cousin is saying, ‘We haven’t showered in days, we’re glued to the TV, we’re looking out the window to see what is happening.’”

Jean-Pierre Filiu discusses the Egyptian uprising
For Your Ears Only (Armed Forces Radio Network), January 30, 2011

Rashid Khalidi comments on the Egyptian protests
MSNBC, January 28, 2011
CNN, February 7, 2011  (Windows Media Player)
Professor Khalidi talked with Ed Schultz and Eliot Spitzer about the conditions that led to the popular uprising in Egypt and what the protests are expected to yield.