At the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), we strive to produce rigorous research, data-driven analysis, and policy tools that advance more effective policies toward the Middle East and Africa.
This monthly compilation of TIMEP briefs offers succinct, policy-relevant information on regional issues, laws, and policies, highlighting the context in which developments occur, their trajectories, and implications. Our law briefs provide insights into legislation produced by regional governments, with descriptions of the laws, analysis on their adherence to national and international legal norms and obligations, and information tracking their implementation. Issue briefs track and analyze ongoing, policy-relevant issues as they unfold, highlighting trends and implications on the ground. Finally, our policy briefs cover the policies and actions toward the region from the United States, Europe, and other relevant actors, offering greater clarity into the processes by which these policies are created and the anticipated impact on the countries toward which they are geared. These TIMEP Briefs are published and updated regularly, incorporating relevant developments as they happen.
TIMEP released the following briefs in February, all of which are in this month’s publication:
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A law brief on Egypt’s Terrorist Funds Law explains the law, tracks how it has already been implemented by the government to seize the assets of those deemed to be terrorists or terrorist organizations, and outlines the larger, problematic counter-terrorism legal scheme in which it was ratified.
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A law brief on Egypt’s Uber and Careem Law, which requires that ride-sharing companies in Egypt store user data and share this data with the government upon request, outlines the law’s privacy implications and how it contributes to the state’s surveillance mechanism.
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A law brief on Egypt’s Draft Constitutional Amendments highlights the ways in which a package of amendments—including those which extend presidential term limits, establish the military as the protector of the constitution, and expand the authority of the president over the judicial branch—will alter Egypt’s legal landscape and dismantle the rule of law. Additionally, an infographic on Amending Egypt’s Constitution lays out the steps in the process for amending the constitution.
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An issue brief on Potential Changes to Egypt’s Presidential Term Limits provides background on this amendment, tracing it from the calls that began in earnest in January 2018 to current opposition to it, and analyzes its potential implications.
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An issue brief on Case 173, popularly known as Egypt’s Foreign Funding Case, analyzes how the acquittal of the defendants, a group of Egyptian and non-Egyptian civil society workers, has broader implications for the country’s civil society and international relations.
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TIMEP also updated an issue brief on Syria’s Idlib Province to include information and analysis about recent bombings and regime shelling that violate an agreement to demilitarize the area, which some fear might lead to a regime offensive.