Back on Horseback: The Military and Political Transformation in Egypt

Abstract

Though there are many expectations regarding the interim character of the current political order, the future of Egyptian democracy remains highly uncertain. A closer look at the take-over of power by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is imperative to an understanding of a political system at a decisive crossroads, but also of the path-dependent implications of the military’s engagement in politics. We project that, irrespective of the institutional framing and the results of the current political transformation, the military will play a decisive role in the country’s political future. In addressing its role during the current revolutionary events, we account for the reason for the military’s engagement in politics, the path of the take-over of political power, and the military’s management of politics. Thus, our analysis will attempt to provide preliminary answers to three questions: When and how did the Egyptian military intervene directly in revolutionary politics? Why did it intervene? And how does it manage the transformation?

Egypt as a Globalist Power: Mapping Military Participation in Decolonizing Internationalism, Repressive Entrepreneurialism, and Humanitarian Globalization Between the Revolutions of 1952 and 2011

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The Puzzle of Democratic Divergence in the Arab World: Theory Confronts Experience in Egypt and Tunisia

“…Every Egyptian president had been drawn from the officer corps, 65 and no matter the efforts to contain its influence, 66 the military continued to exercise veto power in policymaking. 67 Egypt's geostrategic position as a frontline state in the Arab-Israeli conflict conferred perpetual stature on the Egyptian military. So did the military's success in delivering on large infrastructural and development projects.…”

Politics, Privileges, and Loyalty in the Zimbabwe National Army

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