Qandil was well known for his pan-Arabist discourse and fierce criticism of the Egyptian and other Arab governments.[2][3][4] According to Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies political analyst Diaa Rashwan, Qandil "is a great Egyptian journalist and highly credible, he is bold and gives constructive criticism ... people listen to him and take what he says seriously, which is why he poses a threat" to the government.[5] Prior to the Egyptian revolution, Qandil co-founded the National Association for Change, a reformist group headed Mohamed ElBaradei. Since September 2012, Qandil has lent his support to the Egyptian Popular Current opposition movement.