In the last few days remaining of 2017, Cairo hosted an eminent international leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was his second visit to the Egyptian capital in less than two years. In between, Egypt and the Middle East have witnessed dramatic developments that catapulted Russia to the driver s seat in shaping the future of the Middle East. When President Putin had come to Egypt in early 2015, the country was facing serious economic, financial, and political pressures from the interior and exterior. Regionally, the terrorist groups operating in both Iraq and Syria were emerging as powerful and destructive non-state actors. They were expanding east and west in the Levant, enjoying tacit and indirect western, regional, and Arab support, both financially and politically. One of these groups, the so-called “Islamic State”, had conquered Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, in June 2014. In the meantime, the west and its regional and Arab allies and partners had financed terrorist and extremist groups operating within Syria to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. Turkey was the headquarters of this alliance, where terrorists roamed without hindrance and arms and militants were smuggled into Syria. Coordination and cooperation among several intelligence services, including the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had been almost daily routine on Turkish territory to provide a certain shameful cover to these groups. The ultimate objective was to empower a pro-western fundamentalist regime in Damascus, in a western-inspired master plan to install Islamist regimes in the main Arab capitals that would become silent allies and partners for the United States and the west in the first half of the 21st century. Once established in these capitals, it would use them to threaten Russia and Iran, and ultimately China, in the name of spreading democracy under the guise of Islamist regimes.

Austria s new government -- a coalition of the conservative People s Party (ÖVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) -- has pledged fealty to the European Union, contradicting the far-right party s longstanding rejection of the EU in its current form and previous threats to hold a referendum on leaving it. The alliance between Austria s conservatives and the far right in the heart of Europe is an ominous turn of events as the beleaguered continent looks at its immediate future. Coalition government with far-right party takes power in Austria In mid-October, the People s Party won the national election in Austria by taking a hard line on immigration, calling for cutting benefits to refugees in Austria, cracking down on Islamic groups, and halting "illegal" immigration.

After months of negotiations, fraught phone calls and middle of the night flights to Brussels, British Prime Minister Theresa May received the news she wanted in a simple tweet Friday. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, wrote: "EU leaders agree to move on to the second phase of #Brexit talks. Congratulations PM @theresa_may." As May headed home from Belgium on Thursday night, she would have been confident that her terrible year was about to end on a positive note. EU leaders agree to second stage of Brexit talks

It seems that General Ahmed Shafiq did not properly calculate the consequences of his decision to suddenly announce from abroad his bid to run in the 2018 presidential election. While his 2012 campaign saw him only narrowly miss out on the presidency, Shafiq’s assumption that standing as a candidate in the upcoming election would give him immunity indicates he did not fully comprehend the changes in Egypt’s political climate, where the security apparatus’ control is prioritized over all other aspects of political life. Certainly, Shafiq has a right to run in the election, and there is no doubt that elements of the campaign already launched against him are obscene, unjust, and harm the state and political system. However, the question remains: how did Shafiq make the decision to announce his candidacy in the election before returning to Egypt?

Arab foreign ministers met, in an emergency meeting at the headquarters of the League of Arab States on Saturday, to discuss how to deal with the American decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that was announced by US President Donald Trump on 6 December. The American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel s capital marks the end of five decades of peace-making in the quest for a permanent and just solution to the Arab-Israeli question and for a solution to the Palestinian problem. This search for a peaceful resolution has been based on United Nations resolutions pertaining to these two interrelated questions. Some of these resolutions have been concerned with the status of Jerusalem, for instance, UN Security Council Resolution 478 (1980) states that the Israeli law declaring the Holy City as the “undivided capital” of Israel is in violation of international law. The resolution was adopted unanimously, with the United States abstaining.

Disbelievers remain outlandish in their grim look of where Egypt is heading. They intentionally overlook extraordinary economic accomplishments, never considering them triumphs. So here is my effort to let the world see the other side of the coin by studying the leaps and bounds Egypt is taking today. It was high time the Egyptian pound got floated, and despite the burden that befell Egyptians and the hike in inflation, the results are manifesting successes.

Violence against women has been recognized by most Arab Statesas a phenomenon that needs focused attention, especially with goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals which allocates three targets to eliminate violence and discrimination against women. This has put further pressure on States to address the issue systematically and in accordance with due diligence standards that hold them accountable to prevent, respond, protect and provide remedies for violence against women irrespective of perpetrator or place. Most Arab States have been active in addressing this salient issue through national reform that mainly focused on the legislative aspect. Following the political developments that swept the region in 2010, Tunisia and Egypt introduced constitutional reform to explicitly safeguard women from violence perpetrated against them. In addition, five Arab States,namely Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Tunisia, have passed laws to combat violence against women, and six States have draft laws to address the issue. Other Arab States have introduced partial reform to their exiting penal codes. For example, in 2014, Egypt amended article 306 of its penal code and categorized sexual harassment in public spaces as a crime. It also amended article 242 in 2016 to criminalize female genital mutilation.

Anyone who loves their country will no doubt offer various solutions and suggestions for a better tomorrow, but the solutions should be radical to address the chronic problems of the administrative body of the ancient and historic Egyptian state. Ancient Egyptians made records on their temples and shrines throughout ages, the best governmental and administrative system that made the civilisation great and helped it last for more than 5,000 years. Unfortunately, with all due respect, the current system of management and local government in Egypt, with the utmost frankness and transparency, compared to the administrative systems in the world, is not up to international standards.

November 2017 has seen dramatic developments in the Middle East. For the last few months, indications have been that the region has finally gained the upper hand in its three-year war against the self-styled “Islamic State” (referred to as Daesh or ISIS), after the liberation of both Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the capital of the so-called “Islamic State.” In Iraq, the central government has demonstrated enough political will to project its authority throughout Iraq in the context of the Iraqi constitution. It has successfully, and wisely, dealt with the Kurdistan referendum of September 25, 2017, and forced Massoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, to beat a retreat from announcing an independent Kurdistan.

A month ago, a friend asked me to write a very short piece on de-radicalisation and the deadline was quite short — less than 10 hours. I started my research, helped by my familiarity with some French debates. I downloaded working papers and studies, watched videos, read some articles, but the clock was ticking, and I had to stop my inquiry and start writing.

Ahmed Shafiq continued to receive media attention as he returned to Egypt for the first time since he left to the UAE after the 2012 presidential elections. Shafiq announced his intention to enter the presidential election against President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who is expected to run for a second term. In state-run daily Al-Ahram, Head of the Supreme Media Council Makram Mohamed Ahmed wrote an op-ed titled “Al-Sisi and Shafiq” where he strongly argued that Al-Sisi should continue a second presidential term and advised that it would be better for the country s sake if Shafiq did not run.

Germany s current political limbo is not a tragedy for Germany. Its stale democracy could use a good shaking up, which is exactly what s been happening since the national vote in September. Germans are once again talking politics and hashing out political differences. The same is not true for the workings of the European Union, which is on the cusp of a vital overhaul at a decisive, precarious moment in its existence. The EU s reform process has ground to a virtual halt with Germany sidelined.

Netanyahu s recent bragging reminds us of similar conceit displayed by Fukuyama when he announced the final victory of capitalism and the advent of what he called the “end of History” two and a half decades ago. What are the signs of Israeli victory? The establishment of Israel with the aid of colonial powers as a base for their colonial plans for the region; the ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people in 1948, laying the foundations for the longest occupation in modern history; entrenching the apartheid regime and the worst racial discrimination in the history of mankind; and finally torpedoing stability in the Middle East through waging 11 wars and confronting two Intifadas and innumerable uprisings of the Palestinian people.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is right to be irked that it is not him but first daughter Ivanka Trump who will lead the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India. The annual event is put on by the State Department and in the past has been attended by Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama. This year, not only is the nation s top diplomat not attending but the State Department, in a widely noted snub, is also withholding high-level delegation support from what is being billed as Ivanka s most high-profile event representing the United States.

What happened on Friday was the largest attack in terms of casualties and the first targetting a mosque in Egypt as the terrorists targetted the Rawdah mosque in North Sinai s Bir al-Abed. No group has claimed responsibility. Local newspapers blackened their front pages as the topic took over most writers op-eds, sharing different viewpoints. They included the media s handling of the attack, the relationship between terrorism and religious and media discourse, accusations against the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, calls for national unity, and assertions that Egypt will recover and defeat terrorism.

It is the right of any Egyptian to speak, and write, about the Nile River, because that is his right to life. There is a lot of confusion about our rights regarding the waters of this river, and confusion about why we negotiate; so, as is our right, let us express our anger. May God help President Sisi, a president who inherited a terrible legacy. History will show that currently Egypt is exposed – due to Ethiopian intransigence – to something it has not been exposed to in its ancient, middle, and modern history.

As Lebanese PM Saad Al-Hariri left Cairo after meeting with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, more speculation arose on the role of Egypt in the Lebanese crisis, especially in light of the Arab League s recent denouncement of Iranian interference in Arab affairs. Egypt supports Al-Hariri, given historical relations with Lebanon and mutual trust, wrote Head of the Supreme Media Council Makram Mohamed Ahmed in his daily column in sata-run daily Al-Ahram. He argued that Egypt is convinced of growing Iranian power in Lebanon, cited by Al-Hariri.

November 2017 has seen dramatic developments in the Middle East. For the last few months, indications have been that the region has finally gained the upper hand in its three year war against the self-styled “Islamic State” (referred to as Daesh or ISIS) after the liberation of both Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the capital of the so-called “Islamic State.” In Iraq, the central government has demonstrated enough political will to project its authority throughout Iraq in the context of the Iraqi constitution. It has successfully, and wisely, dealt with the Kurdistan referendum of September 25, 2017, and forced Massoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, to beat a retreat from announcing an independent Kurdistan.

Thirty years after the Seoul Olympic Games, the organization and events of which impressed the entire world, the 23rd Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in PyeongChang, Korea, in February 2018. The PyeongChang Olympic Games will build on what was founded three decades ago: it will cultivate the true values of the Olympic movement and provide an opportunity, once again, to show the world the path Korea has travelled over the past three decades.

No one can touch Egypt s water: Al-Sisi” read the main headlines of most state and private newspapers. This comes in light of renewed concerns about the Renaissance Dam. Al-Ahram s Morsi Attallah s Sunday column stated that the fact is, water security is part of the comprehensive concept of national security, defending Egypt s right in rejecting Addis Ababa s breach of agreements.

A few days ago, the World Bank Group released its Doing Business 2018 report. The report sheds light on the country s performance and business climate through a number of indicators during the period from July 2016 to the end of June 2017. The Doing Business Index has been issued 15 times to date. It aims to investigate regulatory actions that improve business activity and those that restrict it during the year. The report presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights in 190 countries. It measures regulations affecting areas of the life of a business. This includes starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, and protecting minority investors, amongst others.