King Salman’s visit to Cairo last week was of exceptional importance, not only for Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but the entire region. The visit offered the opportunity to get past the chill in relations that emerged due to differences on key regional issues, reinvigorate economic ties, and restore balance in the Arab region.

The last few years have witnessed — and are still witnessing — dreary regional disturbance due to Arab-Arab infighting, whether directly or by proxy, in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Why is it that the Egyptian elite suffer from a continuous state of funk? Why do these people have to go out of their way to present fabricated stories or half-truths to make us feel good about ourselves? Besides Egypt’s interesting history and rich culture, is it not possible for Egyptians to have pride in themselves for the mere fact that they are human, without waiting for someone from the so-called elite to raise our national self-esteem through falsehoods? Is it not enough for Egyptians to feel proud of their heritage, knowing they belong to the only nation on earth that has a science named after it, namely Egyptology.

I have no idea how President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will justify his government’s unacceptable management of the country’s crises during his expected speech on Wednesday. I hope the regime is not betting on the public’s short memory span; our memory may seem to easily float from an issue to another, but this occurs only in relation to transient issues that do not undermine the dignity of citizens, and in those cases that end with a just punishment for wrongdoers. This was evident in the case of Tawfiq Okasha, as he was sent to the dustbin of history and memory, never to return.

Mohammad Hassanein Hiekal’s life was not an ordinary one, nor was it a lifetime of an ordinary thinker. It stands out as a vision for a nation and a strategy for governance. Although Hiekal has always been calling for a conscious modernity that takes into account the specialty of the Arab countries, his talk had no scientific basis. He played the mentor, and he indeed had to, but he mentored only the end results without discussing their causes—these causes in which he himself was an influential factor.

In the age of Twitter, the media are having a hard time influencing public opinion. Let’s take John Kerry’s recent visit to Egypt, where he expressed the US’s concern over Egypt’s human rights situation. The American government’s position towards Egypt has, admittedly, been seriously confused in recent years. But I think that most of us would agree that it is in everyone’s best interests to get positive relations back on track instead of cultivating more negativity.

I am not inclined to believe in conspiracies and interpret events from one angle — that the country’s enemies are plotting against us in order to make us stumble and fail. This way of thinking led to justifying despotism and failure in all our life’s facets, disavowing any responsibility and putting blame on an external culprit that is the conspiracy. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is widespread and has its own writers and broad audience.

Less than a year separates us from the fortieth anniversary of the January 1977 demonstrations. After two decades of socialism, economic transition towards capitalism and liberating markets began.

In the lives of nations, there are many dual concepts that arise in public debate and stir much controversy whereby the relationship between them is a zero-sum game. If one issue supersedes, then the other is obliterated.

The latest devaluation happened after a wave of speculation against the Egyptian pound and the foreign exchange market’s lack of resources of foreign currencies. This lack of foreign currencies is the result of a large deficit in external balances.

Of all the concepts in the Egyptian political dictionary, foreign funding is regarded as the most defamatory. The term has been used as a background to any political movement, legitimate public outcry, or even political signals coming from abroad.

The clash between the state and civil society is poised to escalate after an investigation was announced into several organizations and institutions working in human rights, anti-torture, economic and social rights, and women’s rights.

Since Russia was declared to officially be present in the Middle East, and following the extended presence of its military in Syria, speculations splashed media platforms around the globe. Observers saw Russia’s decision to enter Syria as a long-term strategy, so the abrupt announcement of Russian president Vladimir Putin to withdraw most of his forces from Syria made friends and foes alike scratch their heads in bewilderment.

Being loud does not mean being right, but since Egyptians value loudness over logic, millions of citizens are trapped into believing that their arguments are correct—simply because their voices are loud. Many of the ruling regime’s supporters live under this unfortunate delusion; they compete with their peers by loudly regurgitating the regime’s false arguments. Endlessly repeating these arguments loudly does not make them valid. Sound arguments will prove themselves on the ground without any noise.

The setbacks of the Islamic State group (Daesh) in Syria and Iraq, under intensive air strikes by the international coalition led by the US, and Russian air strikes, forced Daesh to change tactics and launch attacks in Europe and the US for several reasons.

Egypt’s foreign service has a long history and accumulated experience and weight. It is perhaps one of the very few government bodies where aptitude is central to recruitment and career advancement and where favouritism is almost sidelined.

Mohamed ElBaradei is no traitor, because a traitor, according to my perception and limited legal knowledge, is a spy at war with his homeland and people. ElBaradei is none of that. Rather, he endured a lot to secure the victory of the 30 June revolution. I suspect that ElBaradei’s criticisms of the the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi's government led the way for the vast majority of liberals.

For whom do we write? Opinion articles in Egyptian newspapers have breached journalistic standards. News outlets and websites have left their doors wide open for anyone who is anyone to write opinion articles. It is no longer limited to a certain learned group of writers in whose intelligence editors-in-chief and newspaper owners trust.

In a statement characterised with pessimism, the International Monetary Fund deputy managing director stressed the necessity of joint action in order to prevent a global economic collapse in light of the risks that current economic policies incorporate, as well as the general feeling that nothing can be done in regard to the world’s economic crisis.

During the previous decade, Arab countries faced a number of big challenges, some of which have evolved into threats challenging governments, institutions, and people.

After revolting twice against their rulers in less than five years, Egyptians are now longing for the era of Hosni Mubarak. They long for when the economy was substantially better, security was functioning and the country was more politically stable. After decades of suffering and after paying a high price for their two “revolutions”, Egyptians believe that they deserve a better life. Yet, they need to understand that only if the country is placed on the right path will this goal be achieved.