Clearing a backlog of mostly stale links after a long absence from the blog. Maalesh. 

• Israeli Operatives Who Aided Harvey Weinstein Collected Information on Former Obama Administration Officials
  Against Iran deal
• Sending Arab troops to Syria a possibility, says Egyptian minister
• Running as Resistance in Occupied Palestine | MERIP
  Joshua Stacher
• Egypt battles to rein in debt
  Heba Saleh interviews Egyptian Finance Minister Amr Garhy
• Ibn Khaldun: the man who invented modern history | Prospect Magazine
  Interview with Robert Irwin.
• Egypt: Former top auditor sentenced to five years in prison
  The latest of many outrages.
• Egypt: Looming Humanitarian Crisis in Sinai | HRW
• Votes for sugar
  Tom Stevenson on the Sisilection
• Asma Lamrabet quits official post over women's inheritance rights
  Moroccan feminist scholar of religion who @ursulind just profiled for @AlFanarMedia
• Elections en Egypte
  Good radio show (FR) feat. Stephane Lacroix, Jean-Pierre Filiu, etc.
• Deep States in MENA | Middle East Policy Council
  Robert Springborg
• How the Middle East is sowing seeds of a second Arab spring
• Egypt and Sudan: Diplomatic pacification, unresolved affairs | MadaMasr
• The Arab Spring’s Riskiest Legacy May Be Egypt’s Baby Boom - Bloomberg
• Kidnapped Royalty Become Pawns in Iran’s Deadly Plot - The New York Times
• 'I'd rather die in my house': How Egypt’s 'successful' Sinai campaign starves locals | Middle East Eye
• The Working Group on Egypt’s Letter to General McMaster and Acting Secretary of State Sullivan
• No longer a secret: How Israel destroyed Syria's nuclear reactor - Haaretz
• Scholar Makes a Religious Case for Women’s Rights
  @ursulind on Morocco's Asma Lamrabet
• I Knew the Cold War. This Is No Cold War. – Foreign Policy
  Stephen Walt.
• Russia's Favorite Syrian Warlord - The Atlantic
  Sam Dagher.
• Oppositions algériennes : au-delà du pouvoir
  Said Sadi, former head of RCD party
• Who is Losing the Nile?
  Sisi, apparently.
• L'Algérie tétanisée par un cinquième mandat de Bouteflika
  Elites can't agree on a successor, so he stays.
• Why do white people like what I write?
  Pankaj Mishra on Ta-Nehisi Coates; delicious if not altogether deserved attack on The Atlantic.
• 'Ensuring happier lives': Chinese media defends move to make Xi Jinping all powerful
  This has relevance for MENA, esp. Egypt...
• Salman's Legacy | Hurst Publishers
  New book edited by Madawi al-Rasheed.
• Officer in Egypt catches boy who falls from balcony; incident caught on video
  Awesome.
• Witnessing the Collapse of the Global Elite - The Atlantic
  Eliot A. Cohen.

• Millions flow from Gaddafi’s ‘frozen funds’ to unknown beneficiaries – POLITICO
• As Trump Wavers on Libya, an ISIS Haven, Russia Presses On - The New York Times
• nisralnasr: Rage, Fear, Hope and the Emotions of Revolution
  Ellis Goldberg.
• Toughing It Out in Cairo | by Yasmine El Rashidi | The New York Review of Books
• The State of Emergency in Egypt: An Exception or Rule?
  Youssef Auf.
• The West’s war on itself | Synaps
  This is a great critique of CVE/PVE by Peter Harling, Alex Simon & Ben Schonveld
• How Italy’s interior minister tackles illegal migration - Charlemagne: The Minniti method
• MEI Editor's Blog: I'm Retiring as Editor
  Michael Collins Dunn is retiring - but will continue blogging
• Rien ne va plus en Arabie saoudite – Culture et politique arabes
  The Saudi media scene post-Ritz Carlton
• failure to learn from history will exact a heavy price – maegdi
  On Egypt's farcical elections
• Tensions au sommet de l’Etat égyptien | Un si Proche Orient
• 'Everyone is trying to get a slice': The gold rush for Saudi cinemas | Middle East Eye
• Au Liban, des hommes politiques chrétiens et chiites jouent un mauvais remake de « L’Insulte »
• Arabie saoudite : les mystères de la purge du Ritz-Carlton
• L’Etat islamique en 2018, vu par les services secrets - Page 1 | Mediapart
• Egypt welcomes US listing of Hasm and Liwa al-Thawra as terror groups | Middle East Eye
• Thousands of ISIS Fighters Flee in Syria, Many to Fight Another Day - The New York Times
• The Sufi-Salafi Rift - Carnegie
  Katherine Pollock and Frederic Wehrey on Libya
• Au Maroc, le ras-le-bol des « gueules noires » de Jerada
  On social protests in Moroccan coal mining town
• Yemen Dispatch | Middle East Research and Information Project
  On Aden and UAE-backed southern separatists
• EFFERVESCENT EGYPT: Venues of Mobilization and the Interrupted Legacy of 2011 | Arab Reform Initiative
• Egypt bulldozes zone by Sinai airport, displacing thousands
• The Donald Trump of Philosophy
  On BHL.
• Tunisie : la « démocratisation » ou l’oubli organisé de la question sociale - AOC media
  Le président Macron entame ce mercredi une visite d\'État en Tunisie. Sept ans après, que reste-t-il vraiment d\'un changement de régime survenu à la faveur de nombreux mouvements sociaux ?…
• No Winners in Turkey’s New Offensive into Syria | Crisis Group
  Interesting details on the fighting in Afrin by Noah Bonsey
• Why the Palestinians Are Boycotting the Trump Administration | The New Yorker
  Robin Wright interviews Palestinian ambassador to the US Hosam Zomlot
• Tiny, Wealthy Qatar Goes Its Own Way, and Pays for It - The New York Times
  Long piece by Declan Walsh.

Le Maroc by Hicham Lasri Directors Assistants : My Driss Fatemi - Zineb Ennaji - Tarik Qarqab DOP : Said Slimani Camera Operators : Salaheddine Hafyd - Zakaria Slimani Camera Assistant : Hassan Ait Aabel Focus Puller : Moustapha Abouzid Casting Director : Youssef Saltni Casting Assistant : Karam Lamrani

Recently on the arabist

• Bulaq Podcast #6: Court Jesters and Black Mirrors
• Robert Caro handwrites to slow down
• On the politics behind Tunisia's protests

Links

• L’armée égyptienne perd pied au Sinaï | Un si Proche Orient
  Filiu.
• The Rise of Transnational Kleptocracy – Power 3.0: Understanding Modern Authoritarian Influence
• J’ai vu pleurer les enfants du Rif !
• Egypt’s Sisi Fires Spy Chief as Shuffle of Top Aides Continues - The New York Times
• Trump Administration Accelerating Israeli Embassy Move - WSJ
  US Embassy to OneStateLand could open in a year
• Edward Saïd vu par Dominique Eddé | L'ORIENT LITTERAIRE
  Said as seen by his lover.
• New Security Solutions for a Middle East in Crisis
  First in a series of essay on regional security
• Egypt Raises 'Extreme Concern' About Nile Dam With Ethiopia
  I wonder if this linked with the firing of Sisi's intelligence head
• Jadaliyya | An Interview with Amr Hamzawy: Reflections on the Future of Democracy in Egypt and Beyond
• Activists condemn Tripoli militia action, call for legitimate army | Libya Herald
• The Rise of “Bad Civil Society” in Israel - SWP
• Egypt: The Battle Over Appointing Judicial Bodies’ Chief Justices - Carnegie
• Rivalry for Religious Dominance in Egypt - Carnegie
• ISIS Claims Responsibility for Baghdad Bombings
  First since fall of Mosul
• La justice rouvre l’enquête sur l’assassinat d’Henri Curiel | Mediapart
  Who killed the Egypt-born communist activist?
• How the Muslim Brotherhood's women activists stepped up in Egypt | Middle East Eye
• Salafi mission calls into question Saudi concept of moderation – LobeLog
  MBS spreading Salafism in Yemen.
• Algérie, une capitale interdite de manifestation
  Stirrings of unrest in Algeria.
• The Others: Foreign Fighters in Libya - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  Aaron Zelin
• On the Politics behind Tunisia’s Protests – The Cairo Review of Global Affairs
  My and Michael Ayari's piece reproduced here.
• China bans Muslim children from Quran classes | Al Jazeera
  This is ill-advised.
• Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea tensions over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Nile river — Quartz
• Revolt Does Not Always Mean a Revolutionary Road - Carnegie
  Marc Lynch.
• Tuesday Becomes Execution Day in Egypt - The New York Times
  To think Egypt used to quite rarely execute people.
• Riyadh Ritz, Converted to Posh Prison by Saudis, Is Reopening to Guests - The New York Times
  The line on Valentine's Day is gold.
• Donald Trump thanks Qatar for combating 'terrorism' | Al Jazeera
  Well that's a change of tune.
• How a Palestine activist became chief of 'Fox News' | al-bab.com
  This is quite a story by Brian Whitaker.
• "Kamayanbaghi", le 8e album qui signe avec force le retour des Hoba Hoba Spirit
  A great Moroccan band
• Virtual Caliphate Rebooted: The Islamic State’s Evolving Online Strategy
  Jade Parker and Charlie Winter
• Egyptian parliament steps closer to banning journalists from court
• Qatar may ask Iran for help in hosting the World Cup
• Egypt approves cabinet reshuffle ahead of elections
  Why would you have a reshuffle a few months before presidential elections - unless you already knew the outcome?
• En Tunisie, « le risque d’une dérive autoritaire »
  Michael Ayari and Issandr El Amrani
• Gulf tension: Are Egypt and Sudan about to go to war? | Middle East Eye
  No.
• Yennayer: Between Algeria's politics, popular celebration and 'invented tradition' | Middle East Eye
  Yassine Temlali

• Egypt First | Foreign Affairs
  Michael Wahid Hanna and Daniel Benaim on Sisi's foreign policy
• D’Ahmed Abou Hashima au Septième voisin : la nationalisation des pertes des médias égyptiens – Culture et politique arabes
• CURIA - OPINION OF ADVOCATE GENERAL WATHELET delivered on 10 January 2018
  Western Sahara legal ruling on Morocco-EU fisheries deal
• A week of Province of Sinai attacks on Egyptian and Palestinian targets | MadaMasr
  Interesting and rare reporting by Mourad Higazy and Omar Said
• Libya's Monetary Crisis - Lawfare
  Jalel Harchaoui
• U.S. Counterterrorism Forces Are Active in Many More Places Than You Know | US News
• Tunisian anti-austerity campaign leader says social contract is broken | Middle East Eye
• The Militarization of the Red Sea – LobeLog
• ‘Make Egypt Great Again’: Israeli experts question neighbor’s military buildup
• Violences sexuelles : « La nature a remplacé la culture comme origine de la violence »
  A delightfully intelligent, erudite and provocative piece on #balancetonporc and the fallout of the Weinstein affair by Olivier Roy.
• How Egyptian security dealt with IEDs threat? - Egypt Today
  This is a useful overview of the official perspective.
• Egypt Opens Criminal Inquiry Over New York Times Article - The New York Times
• Legal advisor says EU fisheries deal with Morocco invalid - The Washington Post
• Saudi prince 'fired after audio tape contradicts state' | Saudi Arabia News | Al Jazeera
• Tunisian Jewish school burned as anti-austerity riots rage elsewhere
• Why has Israel banned Jewish leftists but not members of Nazi-linked groups?
• Tunisian opposition calls for protests until austerity plan scrapped | Middle East Eye
• Shafiq quit Egypt election bid after threats of 'sex tape' and corruption slurs: Sources
  Convenient.
• Egypt court jails hundreds for offences at 2013 Cairo sit-in | Middle East Eye
• Al Jazeera bureau in Yemen forcibly closed | Al Jazeera
• A flammable peace: Why gas deals won’t end conflict in the Middle East | European Council on Foreign Relations
  Interesting on east Med gas geopolitics that could be a boon for Egypt.
• The Origins of Modern Kleptocracy – Power 3.0: Understanding Modern Authoritarian Influence
• Egyptian spy ordered TV smears against presidential hopeful Shafiq | Middle East Eye
  More of this "Ashraf al-Kholy" character
• Russia Says Its Syria Bases Beat Back an Attack by 13 Drones
• Sudan turns to UN over territory dispute with Egypt
• Man killed as Tunisia anti-austerity protests spread
• Why are tensions rising in the Red Sea region?
• Iranian lawmaker says 3,700 arrested in days of violent protests
• Deadly protests grip Sudan over rising bread prices
• How the Tariq Ramadan Scandal Derailed the #Balancetonporc Movement in France | The New Yorker
  Had forgotten to link to this excellent Adam Shatz piece of how France turned discussion of sexual abuse against women into a controversy over Islam
• Full Court Press - Carnegie
  On changes to the Saudi judiciary
• Turkey-based TV airs Egypt tapes on Jerusalem
  Same as obtained by NYT presumably, suggesting MB link
• Atheist mother loses custody of children in Egypt
  But Sisi is leading religious reform and a secular spring..
• Human rights chief embezzled $1 million to cover losses on internet gambling, police say
  Quite an investigation by Brian Whitaker on UAE-linked Palestinian fraudster
• Qatari-owned jewels stolen in audacious heist in Venice | Middle East Eye
  It's comforting to know that there are still jewel thieves plotting heists
• As a 2-State Solution Loses Steam, a 1-State Plan Gains Traction - The New York Times
  Of course, the Palestinian one-staters are far more democratic than their Israeli counterparts.
• Tapes Reveal Egyptian Leaders’ Tacit Acceptance of Jerusalem Move
• Saudi attorney general: 11 princes arrested after crowding near palace - Al Arabiya English
  They were protesting being made to pay their utility bills 9allegedly - dissidents say this is made up)
• Palestinians rally against Greek Orthodox patriarch
  Over alleged sale of land to Israelis
• Cleric Salman al-Awda 'held over Qatar tweet'
  "Salman al-Awda detained over refusal to tweet specific text to support the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar, his family says."
• Egypt refutes NYT report on tacit acceptance of Jerusalem move
  NYT should release the recordings it obtained.
• Gulf Crisis Expands into the Horn of Africa
  James Dorsey on Turkey's entry into the Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia-Gulf nexus
• La monarchie marocaine, ce vecteur de la contamination
  Excellent post on corruption as a mechanism of control
• Parfum de scandale dans une ferme royale - Le Desk
  Exploitation of women laborers in king of Morocco’s farms.
• Au Yémen, les Emirats arabes unis se rapprochent des Frères musulmans
  UAE joins KSA in engaging Yemeni MB party Islah.
• Disparition de Gilbert Meynier, « passeur » de l’histoire algérienne
• « En Syrie, le viol était le maître mot »
  Utterly devastating accounts of systematic rape in Assad's jails

I try to blog the links I bookmark (and that get automatically posted to the @arabist Twitter account) every couple of weeks. Those links are usually things I think are worth highlighting for one reason or another. For the last two weeks I was traveling a lot, and have decided to give up on the 40+ tabs I have open in Safari and simply dump them below. So only a few proper links:

• En défense d’El Mortada Iamrachen, victime de l’impéritie du régime - Le Desk
  Powerful editorial on Morocco Hirak activist condemned to 5 years prison.
• Motives in Egypt’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack: Religion and Revenge - The New York Times
  Great reporting by Nour Youssef.
• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Flexes His Muscles - SPIEGEL ONLINE
  Jamal Khashoggi.
• His books are maps, painstakingly pieced together, of loss @ursulind on Palestinian author Raja Shehadeh, in @thenation magazine
• She Accused a Moroccan Pop Star of Rape. Online, She Was Vilified. - The New York Times
• The Politics behind Morocco’s Entry into ECOWAS | THISDAYLIVE
• Rebuilding a Space for Thought in Cairo
  @ursulind on the persistent Townhouse art gallery, for @alfanar

and a huge Safari tab dump:

• La maladie de Bouteflika ne cache plus celle du régime | Mediapart
• Algérie : quand gronde la rage sourde du boycott et de l'abstention | Le Point Afrique
• Culte/ Des chiites algériens de retour de Karballa malmenés par la PAF - Algérie Focus
• La situation en Algérie vue par les autorités belges — TSA
• To find the extremism behind the Egypt terror attack, start with anti-Sufi preachers | HA Hellyer | Opinion | The Guardian
• Egypt Mosque Attack Highlights Misunderstanding of Sufis - The Atlantic
• En Algérie, la corruption dépasse l'entendement (Yasmina Khadra)
• Saudi -6 Factors for MbS's Changes & 5 Against | Tarek Osman
• Was the mosque massacre in Egypt preventable? - The Washington Post
• The Problematics of Governance in the Human Rights Movement in Tunisia | Arab Reform Initiative
• How the Tariq Ramadan Scandal Derailed the #Balancetonporc Movement in France | The New Yorker
• Red Sea: Connecter and Divider - SWP
• Stage One of the UN Libya Action Plan: The Likelihood of Failure and the Need for Review | Arab Reform Initiative
• The Authoritarian Roots of Contemporary Islamist Discourse | Arab Reform Initiative
• Introducing Power 3.0: Reevaluating Authoritarianism in an Era of Globalization – Power 3.0: Understanding Modern Authoritarian Influence
• What Is Populism? - The American Interest
• Why Populist Nationalism Now? - The American Interest
• In Yemen, Mothers Of Detained Won't Stop Protests Till Their Sons Are Freed : Parallels : NPR
• CIDOB - War in Peacetime. Russia’s Strategy on NATO’s Eastern and Southern Flanks
• In Egypt, Furious Retaliation but Failing Strategy in Sinai - The New York Times
• Meet the Masters of the Underworld: | Rawi Magazine
• Le Maroc et les nouvelles routes de la soie : la troisième voie
• Egypt's War on Books - The Atlantic
• Selon Moncef Marzouki, le conseil de sécurité nationale serait un gouvernement parallèle pour contrecarrer Youssef Chahed
• UN voices alarm about spread of HIV in Egypt | News & Observer
• False Promises to Egyptian Youth - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Can Tunisia Break With Its Past? | zenith.me
• Cheap Havoc: How Cyber-Geopolitics Will Destabilize the Middle East | The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Spain / Morocco | Borders | Vox
• Mohammed VI débranche enfin le général Benslimane - Le Desk
• Former Egypt premier says he's 'fine' and still mulling election bid
• Qatar says 2018 budget will focus on resisting economic boycott