A fork in the road to a new Egypt: Why Egyptian revolutionaries are calling for a “No” vote in the referendum to amend the constitution

Just one month after Honsi Mubarak’s resignation, the Egyptian ruling military council is going ahead with its promise to put forward recently proposed amendments to Egypt’s 1971 constitution—up for a referendum on Saturday the 19 of March. As referendum day approaches, however, the vote, which is the first meaningful electoral exercise for Egyptians in decades, has caused an unsettling divide amongst Egypt’s political players at a time of great instability. The “Yes” camp by now...

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Jordan—between tribes and political parties

Alarmed by expanding street protests throughout Jordan, the Jordanian monarchy has in the last few days reacted swiftly to stave off any chance of widespread unrest and uprisings inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt. The king’s actions began with the firing of the unpopular prime minister, Samir Rifai’, and his government, followed by an invitation to opposition figures to join the new government, and an unprecedented one-on-one meeting this week between the king himself and leaders o...

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