Egypt

Rezensionen / Stimmen

This is an encyclopedic and cogent work that provides a comprehensive, rich, and detailed account of contemporary politics in Egypt from 1952 until the coup of 2013. It thoroughly explores social, political, and economic factors that shaped Egypt's contemporary history with a particular focus on the role of the Egyptian military in defining Egypt's politics and society over the past seven decades. An essential read for anyone interested in learning about Egypt's political evolution particularly after the January uprising of 2011. Bishara has written a non-fiction, Egyptian equivalent of War and Peace. His prodigious undertaking traces the historical underpinnings of the military's rule back to the Ottoman era, then chronicles and analyzes in detail the uprising against Mubarak's regime in 2011, followed by the army's bloody, repressive reconsolidation of power. Far from being just a dry analysis, Bishara's very readable account brings events and broader trends alive by recounting the thinking and behaviour of those involved, whether presidents or proletarians. * Middle East Institute * Bishara offers a fine-grained account of the 2011 uprising and its aftermath, culminating in the July 2013 coup. He presents this complex story clearly and documents it in extensive detail. In addition, he offers a distinctive argument grounded in the premise that mass popular movements can become revolutions only under specific economic, political, social, and cultural conditions. He then examines why these conditions failed to emerge in Egypt. This is an insightful and original addition to the literatures on Egypt, social movements, and revolutions. * Colgate University * A masterful work by one of the Arab world's leading scholars and political analysts. Entwining threads of economic, political, social, historical and media analysis, and drawing on a large number of interviews of activists from Cairo and the provinces as well as a wealth of original and secondary Arabic language sources generally not consulted by western analysts, Azmi Bishara provides expansive as well as in-depth analysis of the January 25 revolution, the counter-revolution of 2013, and the brutal end to the hopes for a transition to democracy. Filled with fascinating insights, from the broad strokes of modern Egyptian history to the compelling chronicling of the unfolding of these monumental events, Bishara's work details coordination, competition, betrayal, repression, corruption, and bloody violence as shaped by the many actors and institutions who played key roles: ancien regime figures, the army, the police, the judiciary, the media, the traditional political parties, business elites, the Muslim Brotherhood, young revolutionaries from across the political spectrum, and external powers. Clear-eyed in assessing responsibility for successes and ultimate failures, Bishara presents a complex story of miscalculations, polarization, political naivete,ruthless realpolitik, critical junctures and the contingencies of history. Egypt: Revolution, Failed Transition and Counter-Revolution will appeal to scholars, while also being compelling reading for a broader public. * University of Southern California *