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Ancient Egypt began not as a sophisticated civilization, but rather as many different tribes ruled by separate kings. The government evolved as Egypt was united under one ruler, the pharaoh. Students will learn that even politics and government in Egypt were tied to religion. The king was thought to be the personification of the god Horus. Students will also learn that the Egyptians obeyed laws and were tried in courts if they broke those laws, much as today. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

A good journalistic (not scientific) contemporary account
The book has some extremely interesting anecdotes that give you a good perspective on Egypt and it dwells on some really interesting topics. My only problem with the book is, that Bradley thinks that he knows the solution to all Egypt's problems, and that the only problem is that the American and the Egyptian governments are ignorant (unlike him), and therefor don't get it.

Inside Egypt
The book described in detail the history of Egypt under the military junta that seized power since 1954, after the removal of democracy advocate Muhammad Naguib, the first president of Egypt. Nasser regime crushed all the Egyptian oppositions, and forces many of them to leave Egypt. Even after the 1967 war he continue his policies including the dismissal of over a hundred sitting judges referred to as the massacre of the judiciary because of their opposition to the regime. The current situation in Egypt can be compared to that of Spain during the last period of Franco rule. The author discusses in details the current Egyptian political scene and the main players. The mystery about Mubarak successor and the army reaction to this selection is a major factor that will shape the future of Egypt. This is one of best books about Egypt current political scene and I highly recommend.Regarding the comments that Egyptians are anti-Western or anti-America is not true, the main thing that Egyptians wish to have is a functional democratic system and their hate is directed at their government that failed to deliver.

Bradley does it again
I am a college student studying the Middle East and I was in Model UN group and was Saudi Arabia when I firs discovered Bradley. That book gave great insight that helped my debating at the conference. Now he has come back with an even better book about a more important country, I would argue at least, with "Inside Egypt." He discusses many topics that are prevalent in Egypt and are rarely discussed in Egypt on any public forum. This gives you great insight to a country that in due time will become one of many forms, depending on how much deeper the problems get, which from the likes of it is very far.

Egypt:Just What You'd Expect
John R. Bradley's 'Inside Egypt' is a journalistic account of contemporary Egypt.It is interesting but hardly surprising.At great length, using multiple examples, it tells us what we already knew about Egypt.Egypt is a poor nation, becoming more radically Islamist each passing day, governed by a corrupt, incompetent and selfish regime which strangles reform and resists change.

For the most part, Bradley eschews analysis for reporting, but what he reports about is depressingly self evident given the general outline.Many of the chapters come with self explanatory titles - "Torture" and "Corruption", for example.Minorities, whether the Bedouin (in Sinai) or the Copts (in Egypt proper), are abysmally treated.

There is an interesting chapter, euphemistically titled "Lost Dignity", about the Egyptiam sex industry in its various forms, particularly in that of the "marriage" of Old Western ladies to younger Egyptians, and of male prostitution.It is possibly the most penetrating part of Bradley's book, because it shows that even sex work is shaped by the cultural and religious beliefs of the Egyptians.Even as they make their livelihood from sex, Egyptians maintain a semblance, no matter how twisted, of traditional gender roles and sexual mores.

But for Westerners, most interesting is the political agenda.And Bradley is in a catch 22:his instinct, as summarized by a blurb contribution from the managing editor of Foreign Affair, is to "love [the] country but hate [the] regime".Bradley's sympathies are clearly with the Egyptian people, and against Hosni Mubarak and his government.But as Bradley acknowledges, the Egyptian people are considerably more anti-Western than the regime.The most popular Middle East leaders are Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Mahmood Ahmadinejad, the radical president of Iran (p. 89).As Bradley puts it, "The sickness... runs not just through the system but through the whole of society" (p.145).

The Egyptian people are against America, and who can blame them?Their dictatorial government is an American dependency.Being subordinate to the United State is an affront to the Egyptian's pride; Being repressed by America's agent is a legitimate grievance.

And of course, the Mubarak regime encourages the antagonism.It allows the fundamentalist Muslim Brothers opposition some freedom, while suppressing the secular democratic opposition.This has several advantages - it creates the illusion of openness, gives the Islamists a reason to cooperate with the state, and most importantly, offers leverage against the United States.

Because, as Bradley acknowledges, in the Middle East, the United States' foreign policy is aimed at attaining two mutually exclusive goals:democracy and stability.But these can not be achieved simultaneously.If America were to pressure Egypt to democratize, it would undermine Egypt, and thus the entire Middle East.

(The fact that Bradley identifies the trade off is significant in and of itself.Some Middle East expert think you can have you cake and eat it too.See for example Amitai Etzioni's Security First: For a Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy)

Between stability and democracy, Bradley is firmly on the side of the latter."Washington must think long term" (p. 227).

But as John Maynard Keynes reminded us, in the long run, we're all dead.What Bradley does not stress is that Egypt is a spectacular case of successful American diplomacy.For a relatively cheap 2 billion U$ annually, America has got the traditional Arab powerhouse as a staunch allay.For over thirty years, Egypt has been in peace with Israel;It is a moderate force in Arab politics and an ally in the so-called "War on Terror".

This comes at the expense of the Egyptian people, who live under a brutal dictatorship.But America's foreign policy is aimed at promoting the welfare of Americans, not Egyptians.And even if America wanted to do something to democratize Egypt, it can't.Pressure on the regime would only make Egypt uncooperative; Egypt would give a freer hand to its local al-Qaeda supporters and diminish cooperation in the struggle against terrorism.Egypt's president would make anti American statements and increase his popularity.And if America were to gamble with its national security interests in pursuit of Egyptian democracy, it would risk an Iranian style Islamist revolution in Egypt, which would make Egypt's liberal forces nostalgic to Mubarak's autocracy.

The only reason America should change course in its Egyptian policy is if changed circumstances require rethinking that policy.Bradley's most bizarre notion is that Egypt is nearing the end of a 30 years cycle of relative unrest, and is facing a period of tribulations like the ones it faced in the 1920s, 1950s and 1970s.This is mistaking a coincidence for a pattern.

A more likely source of instability in the regime is the possibility of a succession crisis when Hosni Mubarak (aged eighty), departs the scene, and his son Gamal takes over.But recent generational changes in Morocco and in Syria went smoothly enough, and the presidency moved between Egypt three post revolution presidents (Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak) without incident.

History tells us that dictatorships, no matter how strong they look, are brittle things.They may collapse without warning.Yet in a region full of extreme and dangerous enemies, Egypt's dictatorship, against the wishes of Egypt's people, remains an American ally.Supporting a pro-American autocracy in Egypt is a necessary evil.

Egypt today
A great read for Anyone who wants to know the state of Egypt today. Banned in Egypt for that reason?? ... Read more

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For centuries Egypt has been a citadel of Islamic learning and thought, and since the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty in 1979, it has been of immense strategic importance to American interests in the Middle East. But Egypt is also a country in crisis, torn between the old and the new, between unsettled religious revival and secular politics. President Hosni Mubarak favors a secular society. But Mubarak's government faces constant conflict with militant clerics such as Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman. In A Portrait of Egypt, Mary Anne Weaver argues that an Islamist victory in Egypt is almost inevitable, and, unlike that of Shi'ite Iran, its impact on the Islamic world will be truly profound.

Based on exclusive interviews with militants and front men, generals and presidents, A Portrait of Egypt is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the far-reaching consequences of the growing impact of Islamist politics and policies on the West.
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Customer Reviews (13)

The best pre 9/11 book on "Militant" Islam
The best pre 9/11 book written on mind-set, practices, and goals of Islamists. Mary Anne Weaver masterfully interweaves Egyptian history, with interviews between, the Islamists, clerics, university students, government officials, political thinkers, writers, lawyers, and common people. She documents from taped interviews the moral and religious justification for the militant Islamists behavior (e.g., forcing Egyptian Copts to pay Jizyah "tribute", and kill "those who oppose Islam" to plunder their wealth to buy more arms for Jihad).In 1997, this book gave a chilling portent of the global network that was developing and their goals for global Sharia.If you want the true dope from the horse's mouth, this is the book.

A good backgrounder on Egypt and Islam
I came across this by accident during a conversation with an anthropologist friend who travels extensively.He had read it prior to visiting Egypt in 2004 for the first time and found it to be excellent for providing a historical framework.

Like the editorial review warns, the book reads more like a collection of essays.Jumping from time to time and place to place became distracting for me.Still, if I imagined a series of meetings with the author in which she shared stories of her time in Egypt, then presentation was acceptable.Do you remember Sadat's assisination and the pictures of our four presidents at the funeral?Weaver leads from there to a much more complete picture of who Sadat was.

Since beginning to study Islam following Sept 11, I've tried to investigate non-judgementally.This book also attempts to be impartial, but gives little hope that a Muslim Reformation might soon moderate the forces of evil hijacking that faith.Equally discouraging is the corruption and cruelty ascribed to Hosni Mubarek's government.

Weaver wrote the book prior to the atrocity in New York which makes the many references to Bin Laden and the U.S. and Saudi roles in creating him extremely interesting.The unintentional foreshadowing is creepy.Likewise, recent events in Egyptian politics would not suprise the author.

For one seeking a complete understanding about Islam and/or Egypt, this book alone is an excellent start to a collection.I hope to come across a retrospective of the years since publication by Weaver sometime soon to see if she is more or less optimistic about Egypt's prospects.

Somewhat alarmist...
About this work, Jonathan Schanzer wrote: Weaver, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has a credibility based on her near-decade in Egypt and her insightful and accurate observations. Weaver's portraits of the players and stories of the events that shaped the Egyptian regime's battle with Islamism are accurate and decidedly well done. Her descriptions of Upper Egyptian towns as bastions of Islamism are convincing. The account of those behind the Sadat assassination, the first World Trade Center terrorist incident, and the Luxor massacre are chilling.

Weaver writes with authority on the history of the Muslim Brethren and Al-Jama`a al-Islamiya. She understands that although seemingly strangled for the time being, the Islamist movement contains an underground movement that is bustling with activity. In other words, what the movement did not accomplish by violence, it continues to accomplish by stealth. As Weaver writes, "Egypt's Islamist militancy has always come in waves, and the decline of one generation has always produced the beginning of a new-and more violent-one." So, it is not a question of whether Islamism will resurface again after years of repression under the Mubarak regime; indeed, it is a question of when. Then, as Weaver puts it, there is "a growing concern that if Egypt `goes Islamic,' so could much of the Arab world."

To its detriment, the author's so persistently having sought out Islamist elements gives her book an air of alarmism. And she deals too much with Usama bin Ladin, neglecting developments in Egypt for sixty pages, or nearly one-fifth of the book. While it is hard to deny his connections to Al-Jama`a al-Islamiya, Weaver writes primarily of its activities outside Egypt.

A Political Portrait
Don't expect a history of Egypt or a travel guide in this book--you won't find that kind of information--but you will find a very credible political analysis of Egypt today.I thought I was savvy about mid-East politics, but this book taught me a lot. Mary Ann Weaver makes a convincing case for the belief that Egypt is a ticking bomb of political discontent. I appreciate her thoughtful reporting, since the press is so preoccupied with Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, that Egypt is almost never in the news. Mary Ann Weaver is also an excellent writer.

Terrorism in Egypt
This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.Mary Anne Weaver gave a very honest and true oponion of what goes on in Egypt.Her portrait of the Islamists and the rulers of Egypt is excellent.I just wish she could add her opinionon the horror of 9/11.Although I do not condone the treatment of the terrorists in Egypt, I strongly believe this was the only way to stop them.Those terrorists were brutal in their acts, and according to the Koran, they should be treated the same way they treated others.I applaud Ms. Weaver for her honesty and integrity and I highly recommend this book for all those who want to know about the mentality and the mind of the terrorists. ... Read more

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The result of some thirty years of field and library research, Local Government in Egypt is an exhaustive study which presents a thorough review of the current theory, historical development and future strategies for the relationship between the national and local systems of government. Mayfield assesses administrative reform through process of decentralization and democratization, suggesting ways in which social, economic, and political changes create policy challenges that bear on fundamental issues of governmental legitimacy and stability. He examines the dilemmas facing the national government in Egypt and stresses the importance of local government in the process of development, decentralization, privatization, and democratization. This book contains a wealth of information about the structure and functions of local government in Egypt, and provides a detailed analysis of the ways in which it has functioned in the past and how it might be restructured if it is to be more effective in implementing national government policies and programs in the future. ... Read more

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Egypt Government And Business Contacts Handbook (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

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Egypt Foreign Policy and Government Guide ... Read more

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Despite its authoritarian political structure, Egypt's government has held competitive, multi-party parliamentary elections for more than 30 years. This book argues that, rather than undermining the durability of the Mubarak regime, competitive parliamentary elections ease important forms of distributional conflict, particularly conflict over access to spoils. In a comprehensive examination of the distributive consequences of authoritarian elections in Egypt, Lisa Blaydes examines the triadic relationship between Egypt's ruling regime, the rent-seeking elite that supports the regime, and the ordinary citizens who participate in these elections. She describes why parliamentary candidates finance campaigns to win seats in a legislature that lacks policymaking power, as well as why citizens engage in the costly act of voting in such a context. ... Read more

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`Ambassador Bowker's new book achieves the challenging objective of making a contribution to scholarship on Egypt and the Arab world while being accessible to a general audience. He addresses the key drivers of change, such as globalization and Islamicization, and the entrenched attitudes, behavior and institutions they confront. Drawing upon an impressive array of empirical information, case studies and first hand observations, he both illustrates and assesses the contending forces and the likely outcomes of their confrontations.'
- Robert Springborg, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, US

`[This book is] certain to be a valued and respected addition to the literature on the eve of a potentially transformational moment in Egyptian history and thus possibly for the Arab world as well.'
- Jerrold D. Green, Pacific Council on International Policy, Los Angeles, US

`In this illuminating and informed book, Robert Bowker tackles the prospects for change in the contemporary Arab world. He persuasively argues that while long-term demographic, educational, and social transformations pose formidable challenges for the future, the important issues of political reform, Islamism, and regional security are contestable. The message that this book so engagingly conveys is that change is both inevitable and not necessarily to be feared. It is a refreshingly constructive, and timely, reminder for all who would see the "new Middle East" as destined to be volatile and precarious.'
- James Piscatori, Durham University, UK

`Dr Bowker's study provides the best encapsulation and explanation of changes in the Arab world's social and economic landscape in an age of faster and deeper interdependence. Measured and sober in its analysis, and challenging in its conclusions, it should be read by all those who want to have a better understanding of the Middle East in general, and Egypt in particular.'
- Amin Saikal, The Australian National University

Egypt and the Politics of Change in the Arab Middle East is a forward-looking analysis of the relationship between economic and political reform in Egypt, and of the evolving nature of Arab society and political culture both in Egypt and elsewhere.

Writing from the perspective of a recently retired ambassador with extensive Arab regional experience, Robert Bowker discusses the potential impact of systemic resistance to pressures for greater transparency, accountability and political reform amid ongoing demographic, educational and generational changes. His analysis encompasses the military and security services, the influence of the shadow state and the impact of social surveillance, coercion and corruption. Looking ahead, he discusses emerging business models, returning Arab expatriates, the gradual empowerment of women and the impact of Islam. He considers the political sustainability of economic reform, including the challenges facing marginalized groups. His analysis concludes by reviewing the regional security and political context of reform, the importance of political leadership over the coming decade and the role of external parties.

Compelling, insightful and thought-provoking, the book provides a balanced but cautiously optimistic assessment of Egypt's prospects. It is essential reading for those concerned about the outlook for state and society in Egypt and in other Arab countries. ... Read more

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This study illuminates the social, political, and economic context in which the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt is situated. It examines the evolution of the Egyptian social system since the 1850s and establishes that the under-development has made the system vunerable to fundamentalism. ... Read more

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The recent history and politics of Egypt illuminates the tortuous and often contradictory relationship between liberalization and democracy in Third World countries. Eberhard Kienle argues that the much-vaunted reform and liberalization of Egypt's economy has been partial and selective, far from benefiting everybody. The author looks at how economic reform and liberalization have failed to produce a greater degree of political democracy: notions of elective pluralism, political accountability, clean elections, a genuinely free press, and the containment of police powers, which have turned out to be a great delusion masking restrictions on political participation and civil liberties. This book will shed much light on the dilemma between political and economic reform faced by so many developing countries today. ... Read more

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In a detailed analysis of the continued survival of authoritarian governments in the Arab world, this book uses Egypt as a case study to address the timely and complex issue of democratization in the Middle East.

This book examines how relations between different actors in the Egyptian opposition have contributed to the endurance of authoritarianism in Egypt over the past three decades. The author argues that the longevity of the authoritarian government is not only a function of the strength and cohesion of the regime, but is also related to the weaknesses and divisions between opposition groupings, particularly between Islamists and non-Islamists. Looking at how such ideological differences and mobilizational asymmetries have impeded successful cooperation between different opposition groups, and how this allows the authoritarian regime to successfully ensure its continued hegemony, the author illustrates the extent to which opposition strategies profoundly affect successful transitions to democracy in the Arab world.

Highlighting the main obstacles to democratic political reform in the region, the author provides important insights for the promotion of democracy in the region which will be a valuable addition to the literature on Middle Eastern politics and government.

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Noha el-Mikawy explores the changes that have been occurring in Egypt's political system over the past thirty years--three very important decades in the country's transition from authoritarian rule to democracy By focussing on consensus-building as analytically central to the transition process, el-Mikawy has picked up an original and very fruitful vein in the theoretical debate about the politics of transition and democracy. Her account of the inner workings and ideological divisions among the country's major political parties provides a wealth of detail for the 1980s and early 1990s nowhere else to be found. This book is likely to make a breakthrough in the conspiracy of silence hitherto affecting the inclusion of the Egyptian experience as an empirical reference point in the theoretical literature of transition. ... Read more

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The Building of Consensus in Egypt's Transition Process
This is a superb study of the process of building consensus for liberalisation in Egypt. Though consensus building is central to many important areas of inquiry, both within Political Science and throughout the social sciences, it is a process that, as el-Mikawy rightfully points out, is insufficiently understood. This finely written, argued, and documented study makes an important contribution to our understanding of `who consents to what and how', and of `how consensus is achieved and why'. El-Mikawy brings to this investigation detailed knowledge both of modern Egypt and of contemporary social theory and comparative politics. Drawing on insights from, among others, Giovanni Sartori, Guillerno O'Donnell, Albert Hirschman, and Phillippe Schmitter, she masterfully weaves theoretical critique and theory building with her empirical case materials. Amid the mountains of academic books on the Middle East that crowd our library and bookstore shelves, few provide as scholarly, sustained, theoretically grounded, and empirically rich an analysis of factors critical to political development and change in the region. The book illuminates factors relevant, not only to political development, but also to the Middle East `peace process', the emergence of civil society, and other aspects ofcontemporary Middle East politics. ... Read more

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Egypt occupies a central position in the Arab world. Its borders between sand and sea have existed for millennia and yet, until 1952, the country was ruled by foreigners. Afaf al-Sayyid Marsot explores the paradoxes of Egypt's history in a new edition of her successful A Short History ofModern Egypt. Charting the years from the Arab conquest, through the age of the Mamluks, Egypt's incorporation into the Ottoman Empire, the liberal experiment in constitutional government in the early twentieth century, followed by the Nasser and Sadat years, the new edition takes the story up to the present day. During the Mubarak era, Egyptians have seen major changes with the rise of globalization and its effects on their economy, the advent of new political parties, the entrenchment of Islamic fundamentalism and the consequent changing attitudes to women. This short history is ideal for students and travelers. ... Read more

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Concise history of Egypt, but not intended as a tourist's book.
This is a concise history of Egypt that was just the right length (and physical size, for the carry-on bag) for a flight from the US to Egypt.Keep in mind, however, that it is not a tourist's book (it can't be used for planning day trips) and is a bit dry in writing style.A good book, though, well worth the price. ... Read more

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A balance sheet of 30 years of revolutionary experiment, this work is a comprehensive analysis of the failure of the socialist transformation of Egypt during the regimes of Nasser and Sadat. Testing theories of the nature of the deveoping states and their relation both to indigenous class forces and to external pressures from advanced industrial societies, John Waterbury describes the limited but complex choices available to Egyptian policy-makers in their attempts to reconcile the goals of reform and capital accumulation. ... Read more

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Understanding
An informative understanding of egyption political ideals of the time.I think I know to much now that I read the book. ... Read more

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Egyptian law is the main representative of the Arab civil-law family and its influence largely extends beyond its national borders. Foreign elements have mixed with Egyptian legacies to build up a new and original legal system. Egypt and its Laws is the first book in a Western language to present in a comprehensive, systematic and concise way comtemporary Egyptian law, case law and judicial organization. Egyptian law professionals - law faculty professor, high rank magistrates, attorneys have contributed to this project by outlining each branch of law or judicial order in a synthetic way. This includes: constitutional law, administrative law, civil law, personal status law, criminal law, commercial law, company law, tax law, labor and social law, land law, press law, procedural law, commercial arbitration, public and private international law as well as civil, criminal, administrative and constitutional adjudication. These contributions are preceded by a substan!tial introduction and followed by an English-Arabic glossary, an index, and tables of cited laws and cases. ... Read more

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The rise of the Islamic fundamentalist movement as a social and political force is the most important development in the modern Arab world. Beginning in the late 1970s, radical Islam directly affected Egypt and Jordan, neighbours and co-signatories of peace treaties with Israel. The radical Islamic movement in both these countries assumed two forms -- non-violent, represented mainly by the Muslim Brotherhood, and violent, represented by various terrorist groups. Both groups shared the objective of replacing the existing regimes with Islamic theocracies. Egypt and Jordan responded firmly to the growth of radical Islam, quashing terrorist activity. Successive Egyptian regimes attempted unsuccessfully to arrive at a compromise for coexistence with the Muslim Brotherhood, and resorted to firm countermeasures to strip the movement of its social and political power. In Jordan, where the Muslim Brotherhood enjoyed legal status, the regime kept a strict hold on the movement so that its influence would not exceed government-imposed limits.By the end of the 1990s, the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist groups no longer posed an existential threat to the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes, since there was little chance of their seizing the government in the foreseeable future. Although they might succeed in toppling a head of state, it is unlikely that they would be able to establish an Islamic regime. At the same time, both regimes acknowledged that it was beyond their power to eradicate Islamic radicalism, and recognised that they would have to face its challenge for many years to come. ... Read more