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 | Egypt after Mubarak: |
Egypt's autocratic regime is being weakened by economic crises, growing political opposition, and the pressures of globalization. Observers now wonder which way Egypt will go when the country's aging president, Husni Mubarak, passes from the scene: will it embrace Western-style liberalism and democracy? Or will it become an Islamic theocracy similar to Iran? Egypt after Mubarak demonstrates that both secular and Islamist opponents of the regime are navigating a middle path that may result in a uniquely Islamic form of liberalism and, perhaps, democracy. Bruce Rutherford examines the political and ideological battles that drive Egyptian politics and shape the prospects for democracy throughout the region. He argues that secularists and Islamists are converging around a reform agenda that supports key elements of liberalism, including constraints on state power, the rule of law, and protection of some civil and political rights. But will this deepening liberalism lead to democracy? And what can the United States do to see that it does? In answering these questions, Rutherford shows that Egypt's reformers are reluctant to expand the public's role in politics. This suggests that, while liberalism is likely to progress steadily in the future, democracy's advance will be slow and uneven. Essential reading on a subject of global importance, Egypt after Mubarak draws upon in-depth interviews with Egyptian judges, lawyers, Islamic activists, politicians, and businesspeople. It also utilizes major court rulings, political documents of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the writings of Egypt's leading contemporary Islamic thinkers. Bruce K. Rutherford is assistant professor of political science at Colgate University. "A fascinating and timely book. . . . [Rutherford] details the long and persistent struggle of the judiciary to carve out an independent role for itself, even under a military dictatorship."--Fareed Zakaria, Time "[Readers will] be rewarded by Rutherford's ambitious effort to explain how significant political actors, specifically, the Muslim Brotherhood, the judiciary, and the business sector, can work in parallel, if not exactly together, to influence the country's trajectory over time. This is a novel approach to analyzing Egyptian politics."--Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs "Bruce Rutherford thoroughly analyzes the dynamics and personalities of Egyptian politics and the prospects for Egypt once its pro-Western president, Hosni Mubarak, passes on."--Sheldon Kirschner, Canadian Jewish News "[Egypt after Mubarak] clearly offers both an insightful account of Egyptian politics and a potentially fruitful framework for future comparative research on political change in the Arab world."--Waleed Hazbun, Perspectives on Politics Endorsements: "An important work, filled with valuable information and insight. Beyond the rich detail about Egypt, Rutherford's study deepens our understanding of how the characteristics of both an authoritarian and a democratic political order come together and persist in the hybrid regimes of the Arab world."--Mark Tessler, University of Michigan "Bruce Rutherford helps us make sense of the voices emerging in Egyptian politics and understand how they resonate. Neither denying Egyptian authoritarianism nor accepting its inevitability, Rutherford draws deeply on theoretical debates among scholars to elucidate politics in this vital--and surprisingly complicated--country."--Nathan J. Brown, author of The Rule of Law in the Arab World Acknowledgments ix Series:
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