Links 4-5 April 2011

• The Praxis of the Egyptian Revolution | MERIP
  Mona El-Ghobashy on the how & why Egypt revolted, with her typical brio:

  Egypt’s momentous uprising did not happen because Egyptians willed it into being. It happened because there was a sudden change in the balance of resources between rulers and ruled. Mubarak’s structures of dominion were thought to be foolproof, and for 30 years they were. What shifted the balance away from the regime were four continuous days of street fighting, January 25–28, that pitted the people against police all over the country. That battle converted a familiar, predictable episode into a revolutionary situation. Decades ago, Charles Tilly observed that one of the ways revolutions happen is that the efficiency of government coercion deteriorates. That decline occurs “when the character, organization and daily routines of the population to be controlled change rapidly.” The organization and daily routines of the Egyptian population had undergone significant changes in the years preceding the revolt. By January 25, 2011, a strong regime faced a strong society versed in the politics of the street. In hindsight, it is simple to pick out the vulnerabilities of the Mubarak regime and arrange them in a neat list as the ingredients of breakdown. But that retrospective temptation misses the essential point: Egyptians overthrew a strong regime.

• Top State Department official Steinberg leaves, replaced by Middle East expert
  WaPo says Bill Burns next no. 2 at State.
• Bahrain: Between the United States and Saudi Arabia - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  Conflict between US and Saudi? Could have fooled me.
• Maikel Nabil Sanad مايكل نبيل سند
  #MaikelNabil's blog which is now being investigated by the army, pretty strong stuff
• Carbon emissions 'unrelated to city density' - environmentalresearchweb
  Denser cities produce less CO2. Go Cairo!
• U.A.E. Becomes First of Six Arab States in Persian Gulf to Get CO2 Credits - Bloomberg
• Eyes on the prize
  Steve Heydemann
• Broken Promises « LRB blog
  Obama and gitmo.
• Politics of the F-22 in Libya
• Wikileaks: Jumblatt to Feltman: "Saad Hariri is training 15,000 fighters in Beirut!"
• Wikileaks: Geagea' to Feltman: "I have 10,000 militiamen at the ready!"
• Libyan rebels set for first crude exports
  When there's a will...
• Benghazi commanders seek greater air power
  They want to formalize close air support, then.
• UK arms sales to Arab states under fire
  Weapons used for repression, of course.
• Islam and the Arab revolutions: A golden opportunity? | The Economist
  Good long piece on Islamist post-Arab spring.
• The New York Times
  US drops sanctions against Musa Kusa/Moses the Zucchini, one of the worst members of Gaddafi's regime:
• US 'deeply concerned' over Israeli settlement expansion
  US "deeply concerned" about Israel's settlement expansion. That and $2 will get you a cup of coffee
• Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website
  Qaradawi compares MB and Salafists outlook on politics: Following the January 25 People’s revolution the surfaci...
• Egyptian Chronicles: Nabil El Araby : Our relations with Israel Should be Normal
  A New Chronicle: Nabil El Araby : Our relations with Israel Should be Normal
• Untitled (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4051939,00.html)
  @ElBaradei: We'll fight back if #Israel attacks #Gaza.
• Fouad Abdelmoumni et les réformes constitutionnelles
  Fouad is awesome!
• Breaking: Activist, actor, director Juliano Mer Khamis assassinated in West Bank
• Tunisia: It could be normal | The Economist
  Tunis coming along, for now.
• FT - Saudi budget could require high oil price
  You don't say. It's staying above $100 for the foreseeable future.
• Judge Goldstone
  100% agree with Dr. Asa'ad on this one.
• Landis on Syria
  What the protests mean five years from now.
• South African Zionist leader claims lobby swayed Goldstone
• Goldstone: ‘retractions’ vs facts
• Misunderstanding Bahrain’s Shia protesters
• The Potentially Revolutionary Political Role of Fried Chicken - James Warren - Politics - The Atlantic
  A scientific study on the use of KFC to promote democracy via @monkeycageblog
• The New York Times
  New York Times: 2 Qaddafi Sons Are Said to Offer Plan to Push Father Out #Libya
• The New York Times
  New York Times: U.S. Shifts to Seek Removal of #Yemen’s Leader, an Ally
• voile_circulaire.pdf
  French interior ministry document on how to implement ban on full-face veil.