Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution Summary and Reviews

Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution
by John R. Bradley

Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $15.65
You Save: $9.30 (37%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.85 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: John R. Bradley
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-29
ISBN: 1403984778
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Product features:

Book Reviews of Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution

Book Review: "Egypt on the brink"
Summary: 5 Stars

This is an excellent book on the current state of affairs in Egypt. Egypt has been under a military dictatorship since the early 1950s - its latest living embodiment, Hosni Mabarak, who took power in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, is in charge of an increasingly corrupt, violent regime, beset by significant economic and social problems, and facing a possible succession crisis - the author is sceptical of Hosni`s son, Gamal`s, chances of inheriting power although he doesn`t rule it out entirely.
The author also addresses the possible main contender for power, the Muslim Brotherhood. He delves into their beliefs and aims, and interviews one of their leading spokesmen - there is little there to reassure outside observers of a 'happy ending' as per the Turkish model. In fact, one is more struck with the unerring parallels with Pakistan - longlasting military involvement in running the country (down), squeezing out of moderates and secularists from involvement in parliament and civil society, the use of alliances with Islamic extremists to send "signals' to the American government not to take the current leadership for granted, stay away from trying to promote human rights and keep the financial support coming - the author reckons the latter at over US $ 2 billion per annum. (One other common item - ownership of nuclear arms, is missing now). Mubarak has been adept at sending the US government the right signals - when the US wanted to push for more transparency and accountability in Egypt, Mubarak, as dictator and in whose power it lies, "awarded" the Muslim Brotherhood 20 % of the seats in the new parliament in 2005. The author states that this was a reminder to the US of along the lines "apres moi, la deluge" and accordingly the US backed off. The author states the turnout was around 25 % - giving an indicator of the population`s disenchantment with the regime. The author concludes that there is a real danger that by his actions of support, Mubarak may yet end up creating the Brothers as the only viable political force in the country apart from the military. If the military choose to disengage, they will emerge as the party of power with all the consequences.
The chapter on "Torture" in the book is not for the sqeamish.
The chapters on social issues - religion - the influence of Shiism on certain rites, the pressures faced by Coptic Christians as well as the effects of tourism ie foreigners buying land and marrying locals and the consequences for the local inhabitants, are also of great interest.
The author has provided a thought provoking and highly readable book on this country and its future prospects.

History Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Egypt
Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt ImageMirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt
by Nina Burleigh
Harper Perennial; Published: 2008-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.25
Price in other shops: $14.99
Archives of Empire: Volume I. From The East India Company to the Suez Canal ImageArchives of Empire: Volume I. From The East India Company to the Suez Canal
Duke University Press; Published: 2004-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $27.44
Price in other shops: $35.95
Parting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal ImageParting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal
by Zachary Karabell
Vintage; Published: 2004-05-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $15.00
In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War ImageIn Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War
by Tobias Wolff
Vintage; Published: 1995-09-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops: $15.00
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory ImageBefore the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
by Edward F. Malkowski
Bear & Company; Published: 2005-12-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $18.00
The Cambridge History of Egypt: Volume 2: Modern Egypt, From 1517 to the ImageThe Cambridge History of Egypt: Volume 2: Modern Egypt, From 1517 to the
by Martin W. Daly
Cambridge University Press; Published: 1999-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $99.00
Price in other shops: $152.00
The Cambridge History of Egypt, Vol. 1: Islamic Egypt, 640-1517 (Volume 1) ImageThe Cambridge History of Egypt, Vol. 1: Islamic Egypt, 640-1517 (Volume 1)
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2008-07-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $65.56
Price in other shops: $75.00
The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World ImageThe Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World
Cambridge University Press; Published: 1999-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $27.00
Price in other shops: $43.00
The Arab Conquest Of Egypt And The Last Thirty Years Of The Roman Dominion ImageThe Arab Conquest Of Egypt And The Last Thirty Years Of The Roman Dominion
by Alfred Joshua Butler
Kessinger Publishing, LLC; Published: 2007-07-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $41.32
Price in other shops: $59.95
NAPOLEON IN EGYPT: THE GREATEST GLORY ImageNAPOLEON IN EGYPT: THE GREATEST GLORY
by PAUL STRATHERN
VINTAGE; Published: 2008-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.18
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, With a New Preface for 2003 ImageMuslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, With a New Preface for 2003
by Gilles Kepel
University of California Press; Published: 2003-04-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.63
Price in other shops: $24.95
Egypt's Belle Epoque: Cairo and the Age of the Hedonists ImageEgypt's Belle Epoque: Cairo and the Age of the Hedonists
by Trevor Mostyn
Tauris Parke Paperbacks; Published: 2006-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.06
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Yacoubian Building ImageThe Yacoubian Building
Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $14.95
Price in other shops: $27.99
Thicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia ImageThicker Than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia
by Rachel Bronson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2008-06-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $15.95
Egypt - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture ImageEgypt - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture
by Jailan Zayan
Kuperard; Published: 2007-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.53
Price in other shops: $9.95
The Yacoubian Building: A Novel ImageThe Yacoubian Building: A Novel
by Alaa Al Aswany
Harper Perennial; Published: 2006-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.58
Price in other shops: $13.95
The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East ImageThe Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Volatile Mid East
by Aladdin Elaasar
BookSurge Publishing; Published: 2009-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.11
A History of Egypt: From the Arab Conquest to the Present ImageA History of Egypt: From the Arab Conquest to the Present
by Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid Marsot
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2007-04-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.55
Price in other shops: $25.99
Egypt after Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) ImageEgypt after Mubarak: Liberalism, Islam, and Democracy in the Arab World (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics)
by Bruce K. Rutherford
Princeton University Press; Published: 2008-11-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.01
Price in other shops: $35.00
Saudi Arabia Exposed : Inside a Kingdom in Crisis, Updated Edition ImageSaudi Arabia Exposed : Inside a Kingdom in Crisis, Updated Edition
by John R. Bradley
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2006-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops: $13.95