Many might find proof of the decline of American might as the US recoils from the world and wrangles with its allies after announcing decisions to withdraw from important parts of the world and from no less important treaties and conventions. No one will dispute that the US of Donald Trump is a far remove from the US of Barack Obama, George W Bush or Bill Clinton. Nevertheless, the US s presence in the world is pretty much as pervasive as ever due to America s soft power, which begins with the English language — the language most used globally for a variety of purposes and the one most universally accepted as a means of communication when a lingua franca is required.

The Trump administration promised weeks ago that its “Deal of the Century” to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be unveiled after the holy month of Ramadan that began early this week. There is a lot of speculation about the contents of this much-expected deal, and some reasonable people would argue that it is pointless to speculate on something that remains a mystery, with conflicting signals coming out of Washington about the basic and guiding principles that provide the general framework of the deal and whether it would be subject to negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis or not.

In an administration full of grifters, back-biters, con artists, and convicted criminals is it any surprise that loyalty and fair dealing flowing from the top isn t exactly the norm? Jill Filipovic But that s the complaint from Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who worked as a contractor for President Donald Trump s 2016 inauguration and an adviser for First Lady Melania Trump. Winston Wolkoff, described in the New York Times as "a New York socialite who is best known for her role in producing the Met Gala," left the White House last year under a cloud of rumors that her company profited handsomely (to the tune of more than $1 million) from her inauguration work. Now, she wants to set the record straight: She wasn t fired, she says. She didn t make millions. No, she was "thrown under the bus" amid negative publicity over inaugural spending.

When I was a federal prosecutor, I once indicted and tried a man named Roberto Ortiz for trying to convince his ex-girlfriend to leave town for a few weeks so she could not testify against him at an upcoming trial for illegal firearms possession. Despite Ortiz s efforts, the ex-girlfriend did not leave town, and a trial jury convicted Ortiz on various charges including witness tampering. Elie Honig Ortiz s obstructive conduct pales in comparison to President Donald Trump s prolonged campaign to torpedo the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That is one reason why I signed a letter along with more than 400 other former federal prosecutors who said that if Trump were a private citizen they would have indicted him on obstruction of justice charges based on the evidence set forth in Mueller s report.

Ramadan used to be a time only for faith, family, food, fun and forgiveness. In these last few years, this holy month for Muslims and others has become a time of fear. Mosques, designed to be places of peace and piety, are increasingly targets for white supremacist terrorists and haters of Muslims. The recent killing of 51 innocent worshippers at a mosque in Christchurch in New Zealand is a reminder of the psychological horror that Muslims will harbor as they turn to tarawih prayers every night. In 2017, a mosque in London was attacked during Ramadan, killing an elderly worshiper. That same year, six Muslims were shot at a mosque in Canada. Bomb alerts at mosques are frequently reported. A Ramadan etiquette guide for non-Muslims

Before landing on the island of Malabo in the Atlantic Ocean, the scene from the plane was a magical blend made up of green and blue. Dense trees are rivalling the ocean s waves. When I wandered on the capital s shores, the scene became most beautiful. I took pictures beside those fascinating trees while local inhabitants shook hands with their visitors with friendliness and appreciation. Equatorial Guinea lies in West Africa and its capital is located in that island in the east of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a newly rich country where oil was discovered several years ago. With the oil discovery, roads were paved and installations were built. A number of modern restaurants were opened and European-style promenades emerged. There is a modernist crust attempting to expand so as to remove the legacy of poverty and disease.

The crumbled ISIS caliphate has bequeathed the world a terrible inheritance: Thousands of captured ISIS fighters and their families, many of whom remain dedicated to ISIS. And with the apparent re-emergence, via video, of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Monday encouraging what remains of ISIS to continue, radical detainees represent an even greater risk. (The United States is working to confirm the authenticity of the video.)

Since multiple blasts killed at least 253 people and injured hundreds more in Sri Lanka last Sunday, the government has declared a state of emergency, bringing back draconian anti-terrorism laws that will curtail civil liberties and increase militarization. Officials have begun to investigate, and though the details are still emerging, reports suggest that these coordinated attacks were carried out by members of a splinter of a local fringe Islamist group, the National Thowheed Jama ath (NTJ). ISIS then claimed responsibility, but their involvement remains unverified. In the aftermath of the deadliest attacks in Sri Lanka since the end of a decades-long civil war, innocent Muslims have been targeted and are leaving multi-religious areas in fear of retaliation. Fake news and misinformation are circulating widely, fueling communal hatred and political power grabs. As members of the government evade responsibility for a major security lapse, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has blamed inquires into wartime human rights abuses for making the country vulnerable to attack.

Over the next few months, the world s current and previous superpowers are set to undergo enormous self-harm. The biggest victim could be democracy itself, and the biggest losers the approximately 4 billion people who live in its imperfect embrace. As London and Was

The course of the constitutional amendments ended with a result defined in all our previous referenda; the usual “yes” announced amongst Egypt s referendums. Yet a question remains: Were there any interactions or parallel paths invisible to Egyptian society? The course of the constitutional amendments shows that most people focused on the President s term in the office, regardless of any other articles.

Spring has arrived in Washington DC, and a sure sign of the change in seasons is the annual parade of Islamist lobbyists who come to the US capital in March and April to advocate, under the guise of human rights, for Islamist causes and to misrepresent the beliefs held by ordinary Muslims. Just a week before American Islamists descended on Washington to push for Islamist-friendly policies during the fifth annual National Muslim Advocacy Day, their Egyptian Islamist allies did the same. On 24 and 25 March, “Egypt Advocacy Day” took place in Washington, when, sponsored by Democratic Party congressman Tom Malinowski, Egyptian activists and Western lobbyists came together to warn policy-makers against Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and encourage the US government to ensure Egypt works “to uphold the democratic principle of peaceful transfer of power,” according to a statement.

The Arab world is again in the midst of major upheavals that none can say with certainty will lead to a restored state of normalcy. Less than two weeks after the Algerian army brought former President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika to submit his resignation, the Sudanese military were faced with a similar dilemma.

The three previous referendums may determine the 2019 referendum, which is likely to be held during the last third of April. Like any vote in any political system, the nation’s political environment will be reflected by the participation rate in the next referendum.

The failed Muslim Brotherhood organisation is attempting, through its tentacles in Qatar and Turkey, to make former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir a scapegoat in order to save the organisation s face and pull off a grand escape from bearing responsibility for the failure of the state in Sudan. This state was marketed by the Muslim Brotherhood for two decades as the first experiment to achieve empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation to rule a state the size and significance of Sudan. Attacking President Al-Bashir with such cruelty, especially from Muslim Brotherhood leaders and instruments who escaped from Egypt, recalls a complicated case of betrayal, treason and void of ethics. Because Al-Bashir s regime had sacrificed the entire history and deep relationship with the Egyptian state and sided with the Muslim Brotherhood since 25 January 2011 until its downfall.

If I were one of those who prepare the President s travels, especially within Africa, I would have recommended two leading scientists accompany him on the presidential plane: the first is Magdi Yacoub, dean of cardiologists, and the second is Hani Azar, one of the world s top engineers. I d even like to add two more; Mohamed Ghoneim, the famous Egyptian urologist, and Mohamed Abdel Wahab the famous liver surgeon.

Dr. Roshdi Rashed is one of the world s great philosophers and science historians. He worked as a professor in the universities of Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. He has received many international accolades and prizes. Rashed was born in Cairo and settled in Paris. Between his study of philosophy at Cairo University and teaching the history of science in the world s universities, his is a fantastic story of one of the grandest Egyptian intellects in modern history.

Investing in green turns out to be a good deal as well as a good deed. China, which has now become one of the world s largest markets for green finance, is showing how investing in sustainability is not only important for saving the earth but can bring about excellent returns for the investor. As Egypt seeks to “clean and green” the country while promoting economic growth, China s example offers some insight into a path forward for Egypt.

No one could have imagined while celebrating New Year 2019 that Algeria would face a very grave political crisis that would cost President Abdelaziz Bouteflika a forced resignation three months later. The same situation had been witnessed in Egypt eight years earlier, when nobody had anticipated the forced departure of former president Hosni Mubarak from power.

There is a growing view that after seven years of multi-faceted wars, the Eastern Mediterranean is returning to stability. Four factors lend credibility to this view, but their impact will be merely in the short-term. What will really shape the future of the Eastern Mediterranean are two realities that are also major harbingers of conflict. Let s begin with the factors that imply upcoming stability.

George H. W. Bush visited Egypt when he was US Vice President for President Ronald Reagan when former President Mubarak set up a dinner for him at the Koubbeh Palace. My seat was beside a US national. I began to get acquainted with him, and he told me he was a federal judge practicing as the acting administrator of presidential oaths. He said that his job is to accompany the vice president wherever he goes so that if the US President is exposed to sudden danger that prevents him from exercising his responsibilities, the vice president will take the oath before the judge. His post eliminates the risk of constitutional vacuum or a break in the presidential post–even if for a few minutes–as it is the president who holds the nuclear codes and serves as the highest decision-maker in the country.