Ricard Gonzalez: «Egypt 4 years after the revolution»

Zorba with Ricard González, journalist specialized in the Middle East

You can listen to the whole session through this link.

Paris.- Four years after the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, we had the opportunity to hear more about the situation in the biggest Arab country in Africa by El Pais correspondent in Cairo, Ricard Gonzalez. Being a journalist by trade, Ricard had to recently leave the country under threats by the authorities who are increasingly cracking down on free speech and liberal media.

Ricard took us on a trip through the modern history of Egypt, starting with describing the coup d’état in 1952 that ousted the ruling monarchist family and installed a military leadership. Ever since leaders with military background have minted the history of the country throughout the second half of the 20^th century, until Mohammed Mursi and the Muslin Brotherhood gained power for a short period between 2012-2013. It did not take long until the established security structures saw their chance to oust the unloved Islamic movement, which culminated in bloody clashes in 2013 that were accompanied by a second coup d’état that left General Al-Sissi as the sole leader ever since.

Ricard’s presentation allowed us to get a glimpse of the complexity of Egypt’s current situation, which is minted by ever changing coalitions of power, geopolitical dependencies and a highly frustrated youth that was fighting for change on the barricades at Tahrir Square back in 2011. Despite his tragic inability to return to Cairo, Ricard will remain in the region and avid El Pais readers will soon be able to read his analyses from Tunis.