Links March 2nd to March 3rd

Links from my del.icio.us account for March 2nd through March 3rd:

• الحياة - «الإخوان المسلمون» والإدارة الأميركية الجديدة ... هل من جديد؟ - Egyptian Muslim Brother Essam al-Erian writes an overture to the Obama administration.


• Egypt in Tumultuous Times - Samer Shehata gives a lecture on Egypt 's policy during the Gaza War.


• H. RES. 200 Calling on the Egyptian Government to respect human rights and freedoms of religion and expression in Egypt. - Bill in US Congress calls for Egypt to improve behavior on human rights, democracy, release blogger Karim Amer, but no ties to aid cuts.


• Religion, decrepitude threaten downtown Cairo bars - I love Downtown Cairo bars, much better than the pretentious new ones modelled on the Buddha Bar phenomenon. And this piece is written by a connaisseur!


• FT.com / Middle East - Israel drafts West Bank expansion plans - Here we go again: "The Israeli government has drafted plans to build more than 70,000 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a report released on Monday by an Israeli non-governmental organisation.
  If implemented, the plans could increase the number of settlers in the Palestinian territories by about 300,000 – a move that would severely undermine the chances of a viable Palestinian state emerging in the coming years."


• The Dictionary of American Empire-Speak | Mother Jones - Tom Engelhardt on the new imperial euphemisms.


• As Doha Said - Bahaa Taher - A review.


• 'Just World News' with Helena Cobban: Reconstruct Gaza? A Likud adviser says 'No' - Helena Cobban has notes from an interview with a sinister Likud advisor, ranting against the reconstruction of Gaza: "Inbar described the West Bank roadblocks as another part of the effort to punish, or "train", the Palestinians. The US and other governments have urged Israel to reduce their number. But Inbar told me, "The Americans may push us on this, and we may remove one or two roadblocks. We'll just play with the Americans!""


• Foreign Affairs - Adrift on the Nile - Steven A. Cook - Steven Cook reviews Bruce Rotherford's new book on Egypt. I got hold of a review copy but haven't properly read it yet, but Cook (himself the author of a very interesting tome on the military on Egypt, Turkey and Algeria) finds it hit-and-miss.