Romeo and Layla in the Park
An evening spent at the Geneina Theatre in Azhar Park is usually an evening well spent. At the very least, it's an outdoorsy outing, the rare cool breeze is always…
Bringing a theater to the streets of Cairo
Giant puppets, a fire show, Sufi-inspired dancing and mimes on stilts; in its second consecutive year, the "Spectacle on the Nile, a street-art project sponsored by the Goethe Institute in…
The chaotic beauty of "Pain Killers"
Flipping through the pages of "Aqras Al-Musakin (Pain Killers), the new release from the Malamih Publishing House, was a nostalgic experience. It brought back to mind a get-together with its…
The transcending sound of The Joubran Trio
"We are actually six brothers, said The Joubran Trio last Monday at their first concert in Egypt, held at Geneina Theater. The a'wad, the stringed-instruments they play, are their three…
A 'third way' for confronting Russia
PARIS: "Let's engage Russia if we can, but contain it if we must. These two alternatives already defined Western strategy toward Russia in the mid-1990s. Since then, Russia may have…
Syrian-Israeli negotiations pause for election outcomes
LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium: With his characteristic clear-sightedness and, knowledge of history, General Charles de Gaulle used to say that one should not insult the future. He also believed that simple ideas…
Seven years after the 'war on terror'
NEWARK, Delaware: It is seven years since that terrible day of Sept.11, 2001 when terrorists killed 3,000 Americans, triggering a massive global response by the United States. As President Bush's…
Building your own state
When my father decided to buy a farm in the suburbs of Cairo and live there a few years ago, his justification was that if you decide to live in…
Palestinian, Jordanian, or both?
LIVERPOOL, England: "I love Jordan, whispered a young refugee girl. "I love Jordan even though I'm Palestinian. Listening to Ibtisaam, a proud Palestinian who lives in the expansive refugee camps…
The American anti-intellectual threat
NEW YORK: In recent years, the United States has been more a source of global instability than a source of global problem-solving. Examples include the war in Iraq, launched by…
