More Morsi

Here’s depressing but not-to-be-missed editorial from Jonathan Tobin at Commentary . He’s not as open as I think he should be to the possibilities that a) Morsi might really intend to give up his extraordinary powers in three months, and that b) regardless of his intentions, non-Brotherhood elements of Egyptian society might use his claiming of those powers as an opportunity to remove him or otherwise politically clip his wings. But the overall picture of Obama administration policy failure, especially with respect to the mainstreaming of Hamas, is quite right.

And of course, things are hopping over at the Arabist today. More fascinating stuff from Nathan Brown, who knows Egyptian judicial politics, and this analysis from one Ursula Lindsey . Her money quote:

One of the difficulties of the current moment is how many different and murky agendas are at play at once. Both sides are convinced that what they are doing is for the greater good. The Brotherhood has stumbled badly but will not admit it; its opposition, while suddenly having found momentum, still lacks cohesion or even clarity.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…