A Falklands Diary

The relentless rise of the Muslim Brotherhood has secured them a leading role inthe unsettled and uncertain landscapes of Egypt, a country shaken by revolutionand revolt. A decisive victory in the first post-Mubarak elections cemented theirstanding, ... Read more

The relentless rise of the Muslim Brotherhood has secured them a leading role inthe unsettled and uncertain landscapes of Egypt, a country shaken by revolutionand revolt. A decisive victory in the first post-Mubarak elections cemented theirstanding, but how have they reached this position of dominance? MohammedZahid's analysis of the Brothers' conflict-filled history and steadily expanding presencethroughout Egyptian society lays the groundwork for their current standing, and shedslight on the complex currents of Islamist politics and authoritarian rule that have colouredEgypt and the rest of the Arab world. Zahid delves into the tangle of Egyptian politics and jostling for power in recent years,that took place amid increasing pressure for reform and mounting socio-economiccrisis, to unpick the fractured processes of liberalisation and the troubled relationshipbetween the Muslim Brotherhood and the state. By charting the shifting sands of politicaland economic change from Nasser to Mubarak, Zahid illustrates the way in which theBrothers, despite being banned, managed to gain a foothold both and in and out of thepolitical system, and to confront state power. Less