New ARB out, Enani article on MB

The latest issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin is out, with as always several interesting articles. I have only had time to read the one on Egypt by Khalil al-Enani, in which he puts the ongoing crackdown on the MB in the context of the coming presidential succession:

There are several ways of understanding the regime's current attack on the Brotherhood. First, the regime wishes to deflate the Brotherhood's expectations after the past two years of emboldening political victories, which perhaps led to the miscalculation evident in the “Al Azhar Militias” incident. Second, Mubarak's regime has relentlessly eliminated any potential alternative to itself for the past quarter century, which explains much of how it deals with any group possessing social legitimacy. Third, the regime is determined to guarantee a quiet presidential succession, whether after the end of Mubarak's term in 2011 or in the event of any alternative scenario. The current crisis seems to be the labor pains accompanying the birth of the Fourth Republic (since the 1952 coup), which means that Egypt is entering a critical stage of political suffering as its rulers put their house in order.

For those in Egypt, pick up today's al-Wafd for al-Enani's op-ed titled "Burn it!" It's about the constitutional amendments, and seems to capture a lot of the feelings about them in the opposition.

Also check out Florian Kohstall's piece on education reform in Egypt and Morocco.