Popular Revolt and Military Intransigence in Egypt

The popular uprising in Egypt in 2011 surprised many and raised expectations of substantive political reform. Yet, it might have been better to exercise caution about Egypt’s post-uprising direction. As we have witnessed, there are few guarantees during a transition phase of regime change. The analysis in the following chapter underscores that the character of the post-Mubarak political outcome is largely the product of a polity snared in the capricious embrace of reactionary military elites and authoritarian legacies. It argues that the current situation, while disappointing to normative aspirations, was not wholly unexpected