Militarizing the Nation
The Army, Business, and Revolution in Egypt
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Columbia University Press
Published:31st Mar '17
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Zeinab Abul-Magd's Militarizing the Nation explores the Egyptian military's extensive influence over politics and society, revealing how it maintains control through various strategies.
In Militarizing the Nation, Zeinab Abul-Magd provides an insightful analysis of the Egyptian military's intricate role in shaping the nation's political, economic, and social landscapes over the past sixty years. The author delves into both overt and subtle strategies employed by the semiautonomous military to establish and maintain its dominance, presenting a compelling narrative that uncovers the complexities of military influence in Egypt. Abul-Magd argues that while the military positions itself as the protector of the nation, this guardianship has often resulted in a militarization of society itself.
The book highlights how the Egyptian army has adeptly navigated significant historical shifts, from the socialist policies of the 1960s to the rise of neoliberalism in the 1990s. Throughout these transitions, the military has not only preserved its political authority but has also expanded its vast economic empire. By examining key moments of upheaval, including the Arab Spring, Abul-Magd illustrates how the military has managed to retain power amidst popular dissent, ultimately transforming urban spaces into militarized zones that facilitate constant surveillance and control over citizens' lives.
Militarizing the Nation employs a blend of political economy and Foucauldian analysis to trace the evolution of military power in Egypt. This exploration is essential for readers seeking to understand the mechanisms through which the military secures its influence and the implications for Egyptian society. Abul-Magd's work sheds light on the broader dynamics of power and governance in a region where military authority remains a contentious and pivotal force.
No other work provides such a detailed account of the military's penetration of the economy or the state administration, nor of the causes or consequences of that penetration. The topic is of major importance and the range of sources drawn upon is without parallel. -- Robert Springborg, author of Mubarak's Egypt: Fragmentation of the Political Order The insidious connection between saving and militarizing the nation is the subject of this fascinating investigation of Egypt's current travails. Abul-Magd offers an impressive and meticulously documented account of this bleak process, from the establishment of military dominance in 1952 to its resurgence after 2011, and concludes with prescriptions on how to reverse it. Militarizing the Nation is essential reading for those lamenting the fate of the 2011 Arab revolts. -- Hazem Kandil, University of Cambridge Abul-Magd has written an empirically-rich and thoughtfully organized book. By capitalizing on many newly-available sources of information and contextualizing this in a broader theoretical literature on militarization, she has made the otherwise opaque subject of Egyptian military politics into a comprehensible case study. This text will be useful to students of Middle East politics but also to comparativists interested more broadly in political economy and critical military studies. -- Shana Marshall, George Washington University A must-read...Unlike the flurry of publications after January 2011 that viewed the Egyptian military from the outside as a black box making crucial decisions (i.e. to let Mubarak fall and then govern, and then to deal with and later topple the Muslim Brotherhood), this book provides more context. It describes how the Egyptian army, especially after the 1980s, managed to entrench itself in the state apparatus, the economy (even during times of privatization), and society. This book supersedes all previous empirical works in this area of study. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the decisions of the Egyptian military after 2011, and the enduring weight of these actions. -- Philippe Droz-Vincent, Middle East Institute
- Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2017
ISBN: 9780231170628
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
336 pages