Egypt - Revolution, Failed Transition and Counter-Revolution

Azmi Bishara's seminal study of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution chronicles in granular detail the lead up to the momentous uprisings and the subsequent transition and coup. The book critically investigates the social and economic conditions that formed the backdrop to the revolution and the complex challenges posed by the transition from authoritarianism to democracy.

Part One, 'From July Coup to January Revolution', goes back to what is called the '1952 revolution' or the '1952 Coup d'état' and traces events until 2011 when Hosni Mubarak stepped down as the president of Egypt after weeks of protest. It highlights the relationship between the presidency and the army to show that, contrary to popular belief, the presidency grew gradually stronger at the expense of other institutions, especially the army, and reached its apogee under Mubarak. Part Two 'From Revolution to Coup d'Etat', covers the critical stages from when the military junta took over the governing of Egypt as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and the election of Morsi, up until the coup to overthrow his presidency. Using a democratic transition theory perspective, Azmi Bishara explains the failure of the democratic transition and how it has impacted on Arab revolutions ever since.

Written while the revolutions were taking place, this book conveys a sense of immediacy and urgency as Bishara makes wide-ranging assessments with many of his forecasts corroborated in later years. The book is renowned for its use of primary source material - including interviews, statistics and public opinion polls - thus preserving the memory of the revolution and remaining one of the most comprehensive reference books on the subject to date.

List of contents

Introduction to the English Edition
Part One: From July Republic to January Revolution
Chapter I: Historical Background in Brief
Chapter II: Economic Liberalization and Political Authoritarianism
Chapter III: Deconstructing the Myth of Acquiescence: A Short History of Protest in Modern Egypt
Chapter IV: From Protest to Revolution
Chapter V: Revolution in the Provinces
Chapter VI: Revolutionary Youth in Numbers
Chapter VII: Who Took Part in the Revolution, and can Revolutions be Predicted?
Concluding Remarks: Part I
Part Two: From Revolution to Coup d'Etat
Chapter I: In Lieu of an Introduction
Chapter II: The Army's Return to Politics: Neither a Conspiracy nor Just a Contingency
Chapter III: The Lost Opportunities and the Deepening Rift
Chapter IV: Sectarian Strife, Social Protest and Fears of Instability
Chapter V: The Selmi Document, the Events of Mohammed Mahmoud 1 and Parliamentary Elections
Chapter VI: The Constituent Assembly, Presidential Elections in a Chaotic Climate and the Elected President
Chapter VII: The Deterioration: Unlike a Greek Tragedy, it was not Fate but Politics
Chapter VIII: The Coup
Chapter IX: Egyptian Public Opinion during the Transition and after the Coup
Chapter X: International Reactions from the Fall of Mubarak to the Coup
Final Observations

About the author

Azmi Bishara is one of the Arab world’s most prominent scholars and critics of authoritarianism and colonialism. He has published extensively on political thought, state formation theory, social theory, and philosophy. His books include his trilogy on the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria (I.B. Tauris), as well as Palestine: Matters of Truth and Justice; Religion and Secularism in Historical Context; The Question of the State; and On Salafism.

Summary

Azmi Bishara’s seminal study of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution chronicles in granular detail the lead up to the momentous uprisings and the subsequent transition and coup. The book critically investigates the social and economic conditions that formed the backdrop to the revolution and the complex challenges posed by the transition from authoritarianism to democracy.

Part One, ‘From July Coup to January Revolution’, goes back to what is called the ‘1952 revolution’ or the ‘1952 Coup d'état’ and traces events until 2011 when Hosni Mubarak stepped down as the president of Egypt after weeks of protest. It highlights the relationship between the presidency and the army to show that, contrary to popular belief, the presidency grew gradually stronger at the expense of other institutions, especially the army, and reached its apogee under Mubarak. Part Two ‘From Revolution to Coup d'Etat’, covers the critical stages from when the military junta took over the governing of Egypt as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and the election of Morsi, up until the coup to overthrow his presidency. Using a democratic transition theory perspective, Azmi Bishara explains the failure of the democratic transition and how it has impacted on Arab revolutions ever since.

Written while the revolutions were taking place, this book conveys a sense of immediacy and urgency as Bishara makes wide-ranging assessments with many of his forecasts corroborated in later years. The book is renowned for its use of primary source material - including interviews, statistics and public opinion polls – thus preserving the memory of the revolution and remaining one of the most comprehensive reference books on the subject to date.

Additional text

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 naïveté,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.

Product details

• Authors: Azmi Bishara
• Publisher: Tauris, I.B.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2022
• EAN: 9780755645909
• ISBN: 978-0-7556-4590-9
• No. of pages: 744
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism, HISTORY / Modern / 21st Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, Colonialism & imperialism, Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions, Revolutionary groups & movements, Middle Eastern history, Civil wars, HISTORY / Middle East / Egypt, c 1882 to present (Modern Egyptian period), HISTORY / Military / Revolutions & Wars of Independence