The utopian vision of media freedom articulated by Jordan’s Princess Rym clashes with the harsh realities facing journalists around the Arab world, writes Publisher and Co-Editor Lawrence Pintak.

Is the Egyptian literary scene enjoying a social realist renaissance? Ingrid Wassmann explores new trends in Cairo’s publishing industry.

Jennifer Peterson tracks how traditional Sufi poetry is mixed and remixed into contemporary dance music heard widely on the streets of Cairo. Features video and audio examples.

Temporary crackdown or reverting to the repressive norm? Jeffrey Black examines the politics and legal basis of recent actions against Egyptian journalists.

“Shafik shows that cinema has enabled filmmakers and viewers to go through cathartic exercises to express dissatisfaction, grief, imaginary empowerment and solidarity, and argues that this artistic channel is especially important because Egypt lacks an adequate civil society,” writes Nesreen Khashan.

Can a heavy web presence boost opposition electoral fortunes? Do individualistic bloggers make it impossible to deliver a coherent message? Pete Ajemian looks at the Internet strategies of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan.

Why was 2007 one of the deadliest years for Middle East reporters since World War II? Publisher and Co-Editor Lawrence Pintak looks back at a year of troubling trends for journalism in the region.

Co-Editor Walter Armbrust puts anti-Americanism in Egyptian comedy in historical and comparative perspective, arguing that current U.S. public diplomacy efforts can do little to change prevailing anti-American sentiments. (Features Video)

Cairo Cosmopolitan sets the tone and the standard for future work on the relationship between Cairo’s people and its urban space, yet it remains to be seen whether the broadly-conceived 'Cairo School’ will be taken as a bold new direction in urban studies, argues Managing Editor Will Ward.

George Weyman gives an in-depth look at the popular Egyptian blog Two Pairs of Eyes, and argues that its bloggers seek to re-formulate but not reject dominant social values.