Portside

With the acquittal of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on all charges of murder and corruption, the military-backed regime of former General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is sending a strong message that Egypt’s authoritarian rulers and their repressive institutions are not accountable for their actions. But, Mubarak’s actual conviction took place three years ago in Tahrir Square when millions of Egyptians condemned his repressive 30-year rule.

This open-ended cease-fire is fragile. Some of the goals of the two sides will be very hard to attain. And, at root, the Israel-Gaza war won’t really be over until there is a comprehensive peace settlement with either a two-state or a one-state solution to Palestinian statelessness.

As Iraq tumbles into yet another civil war, it is important to remember how all this came about, and why adding yet more warfare to the current crisis will perpetuate exactly what the “Great Loot” set out to do: tear an entire region of the world asunder.

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Jail terms for Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed spark global outcry and calls for their immediate release.

During this week of Passover, one of the most sacred of Jewish observances, commemorating the deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, it behooves us to remember that captivity in many forms for many people continues.

This new Cold War is not about communism taking over the world. It is more about returning to 19th century balance of power interests, borrowing the phrase John Kerry has used against Putin. It is about dividing up the spoils of the first Cold War among the triumphal capitalist democracies, as if Russia is defeated and short-lived. Pushing Western capitalism and NATO towards Russia was sure to touch off the current escalation, and worse may come.

As a whole, the people of Egypt opted for unarmed mass demonstrations over joining a guerrilla struggle because they believed strategic nonviolence was the more practical and effective means of ousting the heavily militarized Mubarak regime. The past six months, which have hardly served to weaken the army’s hand, suggest that the tactical judgment of nonviolent revolutionaries carried considerable wisdom.