Author

Erfan Faridmoayer

UCLA Students Interview Director of USAID, Dr. Rajiv Shah

The Changing Face of Global Health

Since the inception of the field of global health, allocation of sufficient funds has been a major point of concern. Whether in providing the right number of vaccinations or in keeping the cost of medication reasonable, funds and donations from governments, the private sector, and different individuals have been critical to the maintenance of global health endeavors. Recently, however, the efficiency of a number of these efforts were questioned. Even though adequate funds were allocated to deal with the crises at hand, the tasks were not comprehensively completed by the anticipated deadlines.

A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on The Path to Universal Coverage in 2010 revealed that “conservatively speaking, about 20-40% of resources spent on health are wasted, resources that could be redirected [for example] towards reaching universal coverage.” The report suggested that effective measures could be taken to significantly improve these statistics. Preventing the overuse of antibiotics, increasing the quality of medical storage and waste management, and improved quality control practices were suggested as potential strategies to help decrease a developing country’s health expenditure by up to 5%.

In other reports, it was revealed that many global health efforts are extremely focused on immediate relief and have not invested significantly on sustainability of the projects that are implemented. This was discussed in detail in one of our journal’s previous articles in the context of Haiti’s recovery after the 2010 earthquake. While effective investment in the creation of sustainable infrastructure and practices may require additional funding initially, it would reduce healthcare expenditure in the long run.

Fortunately, there has been a shift in the practice of global health, leading to solutions that appear more achievable, more sustainable, and have more realistic timeframes. Polio, for example, was eradicated in the United States by 1979 because of the availability of resources and emphasis on cultural education. India, once famed for having the highest number of Polio cases internationally, eradicated the virus by 2012, and has remained Polio free ever since. At the present time, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are the only remaining three countries waiting to have the virus eliminated. Optimistic predictions suggest the end of Polio within the next decade. According to the Polio Global Eradication Initiative, the majority of all prevention efforts center on routine immunization, supplementary immunization, surveillance, and targeted “mop-up” campaigns.

Women’s Empowerment

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been a major contributor to global vaccination, both in funding and in strategizing eradication practices. Recently, The Generation had the pleasure of interviewing one of the organization’s founders, Melinda Gates. Prior to her visit to UCLA, she published an article in Science Magazine titled “Putting Women and Girls at the Center of Development.” In her writing, Gates argues for the need to address gender inequality in developing countries not only because it’s a human right, but also because of its sustainable economic and cultural ramifications. Although she acknowledges the need for additional expenditure by investors in order to implement this proposal, Gates sees this as an investment that leads to sustained community and economic growth for the local population, in addition to its transformative effects in redefining the role of women and children within families and society.

In realizing these changes, Gates finds that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can play a significant role as liaisons between the immediate community and the funding organizations or government. Through her experience, NGOs can assist with creating trust among communities. As such, she believed that NGOs can serve as an influential group in the specific issues pertaining to the population they work closely with.

During the interview, Melinda Gates was asked about the use of contraception in developing countries as a step towards women’s empowerment. It is important to note that usage of contraceptives has become more acceptable in a number of countries in Africa, and is not as controversial as abortion. Gates emphasized the importance of culture in assuring sustainable practices. For example, if a wife suggests to her husband to use condom, it may be interpreted by him that his wife has a sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as HIV. As such, this may lead the husband to believe that his wife has been unfaithful to him. Gates noted that such misconceptions should be further clarified so that contraceptives are viewed as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy, and not just to the capacity of eliminating the transmission of STDs. In summary, Gates believes that such education should center on women’s health, decision-making capacity, and intellectual empowerment. This also means that there is a demand for men to become more involved in the improvement of women and children’s rights.

Significance of Numbers and Statistics

The Gates Foundation has been ranked second in most contributions to global health initiatives. The United States holds the fourth place in this ranking, indicating the crucial need for America to utilize its resources further in global health endeavors. Nonetheless, the government has been in close collaboration with other organizations such as the WHO and the Center for Disease Control through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). These elements were crucial in containment and management of the recent Ebola outbreak in a number of African countries.

Without a doubt, many global health organizations, including the WHO, were not prepared or were delayed in responding to the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. The most recent reports indicate that there have been 8,675 deaths caused by the disease so far. With the failure to respond promptly, one may wonder at the reasons that led to the inefficiency of the global community, especially the United States, in responding to and preventing this crisis.

We had the opportunity to ask this questions directly to Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Director of USAID, who visited the UCLA campus recently. He believes that the data on Ebola-positive cases were not utilized as efficiently and carefully as they should have been, given the necessary infrastructure to report any Ebola-positive case for incorporation into an open-sourced data map of the disease’s distribution. In summary, Shah believed that the data we had prior to the outbreak was overlooked and not analyzed to its full capacity.

It is evident that global health efforts have evolved to a point that financial investments are not considered as the only factor in improving the health conditions of a nation. Sustainability has become a key element in the majority of the current efforts in establishing lasting successful health practices. A crucial component of this strategy is creating a welcoming and educated culture for both men and women on a local scale. This allows accommodation for the specific needs of a region which may be very different than another community. Lastly, it is important to further incorporate statistical analyses and models in recording and predicting the health outcomes of a nation. Such an integrative approach has a much higher chance of resolving current and future global health crises in a more efficient and effective manner.

April 25, 2015 2 comments

Featured Global Health UCLA and the World

Haiti’s recovery: Don’t give them the fish, teach them how to fish

written by Erfan Faridmoayer

Haiti – search and rescue by IFRC

Almost five years have passed since the devastating earthquake in Haiti that cost at least 200,000 individuals their lives and left many more injured. The country was in ruins after this tragic event. Since then, valuable international collaborations have been initiated to put Haiti back on its feet, and have assisted Haiti with reviving agriculture, importing pharmacological drugs, and rebuilding shelters and houses for those who lost their homes.

The majority of these efforts aimed to provide immediate assistance to the country, with little regard for their level of sustainability. As reported by the Boston Globe, less than ten percent of the international funds went to local and national authorities. The rest were spent on immediate care. As a result, to this day, Haiti is still very much dependent on foreign aid for its survival. This is not to suggest that the foreign aid for immediate relief efforts is unnecessary. These efforts, however, should be modified to lead Haiti toward self-sustainability in the long run during its ongoing recovery from the earthquake.

Fortunately, there has been a recent shift in the initiatives that assist Haiti’s recovery. Our very own University of California (UC) system has taken the lead in providing sustainable technologies for Haiti. Through the UC Haiti Initiative, in collaboration with the State University of Haiti (Université d’Etat d’Haïti or “UEH”), participating UC campuses have funded a number of training programs for skilled Haitian physicians to travel to the United States and receive advanced training in their field of expertise. Upon their return, they will implement their newly learnt techniques in Haiti.

This year, UCLA hosted a talented rheumatologist from Haiti, Dr. Wilciane-Claire Belliot, sponsored by the UC Haiti Initiative. With the high prevalence of rheumatic diseases such as arthritis, long term and sustainable training of healthcare professionals is a much needed and worthy cause. To put this issue in perspective, the UCLA medical center has 25 rheumatologists. Haiti, with a population of 10 million, only has two.

In the course of her stay, Dr. Belliot had the opportunity to observe treatment methods, visit patients in the clinic, and have access to all the resources that UCLA’s fellows have. By the end of the program, Dr. Belliot was prepared to treat not only rheumatic patients, but also received invaluable training to establish Haiti’s first rheumatology clinic.

In an interview with the UC Haiti Initiative, I asked if the organization had faced any major problems in implementing their proposals. It was mentioned that funding for “capacity building” measures have been limited. Kenny Pettersen, Chair of the UC Haiti Initiative Executive Committee and current medical student at UCSF noted “governments, NGOs, and other actors have prioritized primary education and the direct provision of other services, such as healthcare.” Pettersen also suggests that “it is hard to grow an economy without access to a talented pool of management-level professionals,” alluding to the need for training that goes beyond just primary education.

Sustainability has been the cornerstone of the UC Haiti Initiative’s approach. In managing their activities, two factors are heavily considered: local need and presence of infrastructure. With the widespread presence of rheumatoid conditions and availability of only two rheumatologists, the investment to build the foundations for a growing rheumatology clinic in Haiti is very well justified. In addition, the training was designed in such a way to accommodate for the limited biomedical technology that is available in Haiti compared to those in the United States.

The UC Haiti Initiative can serve as a model for other organizations in designing ways to bring sustainable systems back to Haiti. There are many issues that the international community can assist with, as the earthquake did not just bring physical destruction to Haiti. For example, due to lack of proper healthcare, and the displacement of almost 1.5 million people, public health has been declining since the earthquake.

In 2010, there was an outbreak of cholera in Haiti. The epidemic continues to this day and has left 8,500 people dead and many more infected. According to the Center for Disease Control, cholera is mainly transmitted where there is lack of sanitation. That includes lack of access to clean water and proper sewage system. With close to $9 million of foreign aid budget, one may wonder why cholera is still present four years after its outbreak?

In a report by NPR, it was revealed that most of the foreign aid has been directed to “short-term, Band-Aid type” solutions. Bladders of water were provided and porta-potties were installed, but the main issue still remains. There is no clean-water supply, nor is there a sewage system for sanitary elimination of contaminated excrement. Without a long-term resolution for these issues, Haiti will never fully recover regardless of the amount of foreign aid it receives.

Fortunately, some initiatives have been taken to provide Haiti with a number of sanitary water systems by organizations such as Water.org. Nonetheless, these efforts need to grow further and many other issues still need to be addressed in Haiti (economic growth, agriculture, and education to name a few). Sustainability should become a centralized theme in all such efforts. No matter how significant the international aid may be, Haiti needs to regain its independence.

To read more about UC Haiti’s efforts, please refer to their website at www.uchaiti.org.

November 23, 2014 1 comment

Passport stamps from London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Italy, France, Poland, Prague, Montreal

Tiffini, Creative Commons

Featured Immigration Security and Conflict Society and Culture

A Broken Measure Will Not Be Fixed by a Broken System

written by Erfan Faridmoayer

By Erfan Faridmoayer

Editor

Immigration reform has always been a subject of heated discussion in American politics. Whether the government at the time has been for or against it, the intensity of the debate gives clue to its importance, and the need for legislators as well as the public to critically address the issue.

In his State of the Union speech, President Obama briefly commented on the need for immigration reform. Advocating for a bipartisan approach, the President called for an effort to initiate preparations for the reform. This message, nonetheless, was lost in some of the President’s comments regarding the current uncooperative atmosphere in Congress. With such a deep division between the Executive and Legislative branches, attempts to revisit the country’s immigration laws have once again been put on hold.

This was not the first time, and certainly not the last time, that party affiliations have taken precedence over much needed political action. Personal interests have diverted the mission of many legislators from addressing the long term needs of the nation to the short term requirements of re-election. Surprisingly, passing an immigration reform could be of great benefit to both parties: Democrats could have a chance to secure seats in the Senate and Republicans could increase their chances of reelection by gaining the backing of many minority groups who support the reform.

It is worthy of mentioning, however, that an immigration reform has the potential to change voting demographics in the long run. If the current undocumented immigrants gain the opportunity to become legal citizens of the United States, they will very likely vote for the party who has supported them in their naturalization process. An additional concern with the legalization of undocumented immigrants is that the competition for the job market will heavily increase. Many Americans are concerned about losing their jobs due to this situation.

Left out of the debate, however, is the need to take a more holistic view towards the population that an immigration reform will impact, and not narrowly focus on policies surrounding undocumented immigrants. A temporary solution will address the current illegal immigrants in the United States and set more strict regulations on the country’s southern borders. A long-term resolution, on the other hand, will also address many of the issues all immigrants encounter, whether they enter the country through legal or illegal means.

Regardless of the means of entry, immigrant families face many obstacles when finding a job, establishing monetary credit, financing a house, or saving for the next generation’s university tuition. Many individuals enter the U.S. with significant work experience, or with a highly educated background. In many occasions, these credentials will be valued less in America as would have in their country of origin.

For example, physicians who have been educated and have practiced in foreign nations cannot use their medical license to immediately begin practicing in the United States. As reported by The New York Times, America has restricted the ability of immigrant physicians to continue their specialty. This has led to these individuals pursuing occupations in pre-medical teaching, nursing, or in fields very distant from their professions in healthcare. If foreign educated physicians want to continue practicing their original specialty, they have to go through a relatively long and costly residency training, a process they have already completed in the earlier years of their medical education abroad. In addition, their chances of matching into residency programs are significantly lower than those of American graduates. Unfortunately, these extended limitations are present in a time when skilled physicians are most needed. As the affordable health care act goes into effect, there will be an immediate rise in demand for physicians in the United States. With the current shortage of physicians in many fields, foreign trained physicians will become an unutilized resource in overcoming this challenge.

This is not to suggest that there should be no restrictions in regulating the quality of medicine being practiced in America. For many decades, the United States has set a global standard for the medical field. To achieve this standard, strict regulations need to insure a safe medical practice. However, these barriers should not exceed a level that will prevent qualified healthcare providers from practicing their profession solely due to being educated in another nation. A constructive solution should assess the skill-set of foreign trained physicians and tailor their American medical certification respectively.

America has always been a land of immigrants, welcoming individuals and families from a variety of backgrounds, providing them with a safe haven to prosper and succeed in their new home. To sustain this attitude, previously established regulations need to be updated to accommodate the current influx of both legal and undocumented immigrants. In a larger perspective, it becomes clear that immigration reform needs to address a much broader scope. The legal status of currently undocumented immigrants or their belonging to a minority group should not be used as the core argument when addressing immigration reform. Government regulations need to be adjusted to accommodate skills learnt in foreign countries, and educate unskilled immigrants who aim to establish a reliable occupation.

Facts from Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and The New York Times

April 19, 2014 0 comment

A Board of Health quarantine card warning that the premises are contaminated by poliomyelitis; Courtesy of National Library of Medicine, Creative Commons

Global Health Middle East Security and Conflict

Ending Polio: A Long Overdue Eradication

written by Erfan Faridmoayer

A Board of Health quarantine card warning that the premises are contaminated by poliomyelitis; Courtesy of National Library of Medicine, Creative Commons

Erfan Faridmoayer

Editor

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called it “one of the most feared diseases of the twentieth century.” Mainly affecting children under five years of age, Poliovirus can infect the nervous system and cause long-term or permanent paralysis. In extreme cases, it can lead to death by paralysis of lung and heart muscles. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of this disease among many others. Medical research thus far has been unable to find a cure for polio; the disease can only be prevented by vaccination. The immunization process, however, can be done with minimal side effects, and it will only cost $0.50 per vaccine according to The United Nations Foundation. Nonetheless, even with these measures easing the process, polio has not been eradicated. Understanding the cultural and regional roots leading to this outcome may serve in the solution to rid the world of polio effectively.

The global health battle against polio officially launched in 1988, when the CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the Rotary Foundation began the initiative of eradicating polio in highly endemic countries such as India and parts of Africa. Since then, according to the WHO, this process has been so successful that the disease was reduced by 99%, from a starting number of 350,000 cases in 1988 to 223 reported cases in 2012. Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are the three remaining countries that have not overcome polio. Disturbingly, during the past summer, there were reports of polio outbreaks in Somalia and Kenya. More recently, another polio outbreak occurred in Syria, sparking concerns over the possibility of viral transmission by the refugees into continental Europe.

Currently, prevention through vaccination stands as the only means to eradicate polio. Many factors, however, have come in the way of eradication. The bulk of these issues revolve around the absence of support from religious leaders, as well as the geographic turmoil surrounding the three mentioned reservoirs. Understanding and addressing these obstacles remains the sole way to effectively eradicate polio in the future.

Roots of Eradication

Citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan hold mixed emotions towards America’s global health initiative. On one hand, the United States military has carried out numerous operations in these lands with little regard for the ramifications of such actions on the civilian population. With the increasing number of drone strikes targeting terrorist groups, ordinary citizens have become angered with America’s military intervention. On the other hand, U.S. provides the highest proportion of global health funds among other nations. A portion of this funding is allocated to eliminate endemic diseases such as polio. Additionally, in cooperation with private organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a strong effort has been made to provide vaccination to Middle Eastern Countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In many cases, the mistrust towards Western countries outweighs the eradication effort. For example, in an extended report by Donald McNeil of The New York Times, a number of individuals refrained from vaccinating their children since it was made public that some of the immunization camps were set up as cover for a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation. Undoubtedly, convergence of military agenda with global health initiatives has been a drawback in providing vaccination for Afghani and Pakistani citizens. Moreover, religious factors play a significant role in making vaccinations accessible. With the influence of anti-Western religious institutions, many immunization camps have been forced to withdraw by local organizations in power, for a multitude of reasons including the continued drone strikes.

In many situations, the issue has not been the availability of vaccines, but assuring the public that immunizations are in fact for the good of the people being vaccinated. According to a report by The New York Times, health care providers had to fight the rumors that polio vaccines contained HIV or birth control hormones. A combination of these rumors along with people’s mistrust towards Western countries has resulted in the undermining of eradication efforts.

A small but notable percentage of those not currently vaccinated come from regions without access to purified water. Bad sanitation habits have caused the sewage being mixed with clean water pipes, allowing for spread of polio and many other viruses that target the population utilizing that singular source of water. This is one of the few examples indicating that eradication will not be successful solely through vaccination.

Recent Outbreak in Syria

A number of other factors need to be addressed simultaneously in the fight against polio. Less than a month ago, multiple reports indicated the emergence of polio in Syria; a country beset with internal conflicts that have led many to flee and seek refuge in neighboring countries. Such movements have caused the spread of the disease from one country to another. It is estimated that the virus entered Syria through Pakistan in this manner.

Although, as noted in a report by Reuters, the United Nations is taking prompt measures to prevent further spread of the virus, it is imperative to keep in mind that polio was eradicated in Syria fourteen years ago. The civil conflict over the past few years has crippled many health-care functions including vaccinations, allowing polio to regain its foothold within the country

In addressing Syria, the international community should direct its attention to the health concerns of civilians both inside the country and within the refugee camps. If unattended, not only will this lead to further fatalities, it will also facilitate the virus finding its way to other continents such as Europe.

Hope for Progress

The international fight against polio has come a long way since it started in 1988. One of the most influential battles throughout this period was the successful eradication of the virus in India in 2011. Being one of the most challenging countries to eradicate polio in, this success paved the way for the current global eradication movements. In its annual report, The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) brings examples of successful methods in effective vaccination throughout India. Such strategies include strong collaboration between physicians and local religious clerics, as well as continued sampling of the sewage systems in high-risk areas to keep a constant lookout for the presence of the virus.

In the long history of conflict and rivalry between India and Pakistan, eradication of polio in India was seen by some as a triumph for India and a great tragedy for Pakistan. This event, however, has mobilized both Pakistani citizens and health-care providers to promptly address this issue and work towards being the next major international state to have polio eradicated.

The current trajectory of polio immunization aims to have polio completely eradicated by 2018. This goal, however, will only be successfully reached with the simultaneous collaboration of immunization efforts between the global community and local communities alike. Consistent supervision of eradicated sites with incorporation of other essential efforts such as the provision of purified clean water, mean that eradicating polio could well become the most successful global health effort of this century.

Facts and figures from CDC, WHO, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, The UN Foundation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal

Erfan is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Minoring in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. He is involved with Shot at Life, a global health organization under the umbrella of the United Nations Foundations that advocates for vaccination in developing countries.

November 26, 2013 1 comment

Featured Middle East Security Security and Conflict

Egypt Re-revolutionized: A comparison of two movements

written by Erfan Faridmoayer

Anti-Morsi protest in Downtown Cairo in August, 2012.

by Erfan Faridmoayer
Editor

A few years ago, at the peak of Arab Spring, Egypt had become emblematic in the mindset of neighboring countries struggling to peacefully transition their governments from long-running dictatorships to democracies. A turning point in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution was the overthrow of President Mubarak, resulting in the country’s first democratic election since 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood assumed office with a disproportionate sway of votes, and despite the Brotherhood’s frequent clashes with the military, the army still enjoyed many of its previous privileges. As a result, the military faced little resistance in declaring the Brotherhood as illegitimate earlier this year. The circumstances leading to July’s military coup d’état, especially within the early years of a newborn revolution, may add to further understanding the roots of the movement. In addition, tracing the history of Egypt’s military and its influence on the country’s recent progress allows for the prediction of future events in Egypt while gaining insight into the country’s civilian movements.

To begin, in comparison to its pre-revolution intervention, the army took a less aggressive stance towards the civil disobedience leading to Mubarak’s fall. Nonetheless, protesters faced harsh retaliation by the security forces loyal to Mr. Mubarak, leading to hundreds of deaths and many more injured as reported by Al Jazeera. This scenario, however, was not repeated with Morsi in 2013. Through a coup, at the peak of the opposition movement, the military suspended Morsi from office and appointed the head of the Supreme Court, Adly Mansour, as the interim President until new elections could be held.

Moreover, it is also important to consider the significant historical role of the Egyptian military. Dating back to a much earlier revolution in 1952, it was a military coup that ended the long-running British occupation. From that event onward, through President Sadat’s assassination and Mubarak’s presidency, the military established itself as a core element of the nation’s identity. In addition, President Sadat attempted to establish strong relationships with the West, particularly America. Such efforts have allowed for the United States’ continued support of the Egyptian military. According to a report by The Huffington Post, part of this support includes an annual aid of $1.5 billion to the Egyptian military. This aid, however, was put on a hold after the recent military coup.

After the 1952 revolution, many of the existing Islamist groups were declared as illegal and brushed aside by Sadat and Mubarak. The army had a significant role in enforcing this doctrine. As a result, many years later in the 2011 revolution, when the long suppressed Muslim Brotherhood came to office, the party seized the opportunity to retaliate against many years of suppression enforced by the military.

In the deeply rooted hatred between the army and the Brotherhood, the army took no action in suppressing civilian movements against Morsi’s government. On the contrary, the institution saw an advantage to utilizing public opinion in order to highlight the Muslim Brotherhood’s incompetency. Additionally, as noted by Kareem Fahim’s recent article in The New York Times, Mr. Morsi took many initiatives to grant himself broader executive powers. Such attempts included removing a number of high-ranking generals in the military. In another situation, Morsi rejected the military’s draft of the constitutional declaration and replaced it with one he had written himself. The later document allowed the executive branch to exercise and enforce more political power, especially compared to the army. Continued power-extension strategies by Morsi ultimately led the army to suspend the constitution and remove Mr. Morsi of his presidency in the recent coup. Since the public was not completely united in removing Morsi from power, a number of protests erupted in support of the President.

It is important to note that the political and social aspirations of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution differed significantly from those of the movements in the past few months. Nevertheless, the main reasoning behind both uprisings was very similar: namely, that the actions of the government alienated and frustrated the people of Egypt by taking advantage of its privileges in order to convey specific political agendas.

In 2011, a considerable number of factors led to unified public resistance against the government. According to an article by The Guardian, some factors included youth unemployment, weakened foreign policy, human right abuses and corruption. The accumulation of these issues led to the fall of Mubarak’s regime. In the 2013 protests, however, the hopes of people for the newly elected government were diminished due to the regime’s inability and refusal to address the aforementioned challenges. Instead, Morsi attempted to give more power to the Brotherhood’s religious agenda. As mentioned in a poll by The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, “78 percent of Egyptians see that the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule was worse than they had expected.”

Nevertheless, a significant difference between the recent movement and that of 2011 is that people have not been as united in opposing Morsi as they were in removing Mubarak. In another poll from The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, it was reported that 71 percent of Egyptians were “unsympathetic with pro-Morsi protests.” These statistics indicate significant disagreement between the Egyptian people themselves on choosing the political party they believe could lead the country towards economic and social prosperity.

Tragically, the protests led by pro-Morsi supporters faced backlashes from both the army and the groups opposing the Brotherhood, resulting in devastating casualties. In a report by The Telegraph, 525 people have lost their lives and 3,717 have been injured as of August 17, 2013, and the numbers continue to rise. According to The Guardian, more specific figures are not available, as the army has stayed silent on the total number of people arrested and killed.

The Egyptian political sequel over the past few years suggests that the 2011 Revolution wasn’t just about a change in the country’s leadership. Protesters didn’t belong to one specific organization. Different political parties such as the April 6^th Youth Movement and the Salafists also stood alongside Pro-Morsi and Pro-Mubarak protesters. Each organization addressed a number of shortcomings by the Mubarak era policies.

Even though the media have given much attention to the coup and its aftermath, the approach to solving the country’s social and economic issues has remained unattended.

The military has assigned an interim government until future elections, though the specifics of this process have been left out. In addition, Mr. Mubarak was recently released from life in prison to house arrest by a retrial of Egypt’s highest appeals court. If the same pattern continues, the Egyptian revolution may lead to where it started in 2011, with hundreds of lives lost and thousands injured.

With the military continuously enforcing its power, the future of Egypt remains unclear. Nonetheless, no matter the party that will eventually lead the country, it should keep a number facts in perspective: recognition of the countless individuals who lost their lives for defending their civil rights, establishing a government elected and supported by the majority of Egyptians, and prompt attention to the social and economic issues that have been rooted in the core of all the uprisings.

Facts and figures from ABC News, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Telegraph, Time and The Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research.

Erfan Faridmoayer is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and minoring in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. He is also a co-editor for The Generation.

September 9, 2013 0 comment