The Egyptian Army and the Muslim Brotherhood: Contemporary Political Power Dynamics (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government)

This book provides an analysis of the relationship between the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). This is at times of cooperation, collaboration, rivalry and enmity, offering a vivid perspective as to how the similarities of both political actors bring them together after decades of invisible presence in the Egyptian political field. Using ethnographic material that includes interviews, observations, and other forms of expression, both political actors’ common trajectories are analyzed in terms of power dynamics. The study allows an insight on the understanding of the differences between: __madani__ (civil), ‘__askari__ (military) and __dini__ (religious), how they are used and projected on the Egyptian political field. Finally, the book provides a dialogue simulation of the discourse of the MB and army starting 2011, while analyzing the meaning of this exchange in terms of symbols, power, and mobilization. In highlighting similar elements to their respective governmentalities, this book outlines a new analysis to the rivalry, making it an important contribution for scholars and students interested in collective violence, civil-military relations, and political Islam in the Middle East. The Egyptian Army and the Muslim Brotherhood Cover -1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Prologue 10 Notes 11 Introduction 12 The key questions and their historical depth 14 Review of the literature 18 Brief methodological note 24 Overview of the chapters 25 Notes 26 1. Elements of governmentality, social rituals, and mobilization of the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood 31 The MB's and army's elements and this research's findings 35 The MB and the army as equally noncivilian political actors in Egypt 36 How were they dormant? 37 Notes 38 2. An eternal rivalry: Historical tracing of the origins of the rivalry 41 The Egyptian army's founding 41 The gap years: part one, or a revolution interrupted 45 Framing the Egyptian army: MB during the gap years 48 The permanent revolution and the rise of the Free Officers 49 The MB: elements of religious fascism or nationalism 55 The beginnings of a political rivalry 56 From collaboration to rivalry: the MB and the Egyptian army 57 Notes 58 3. Territory, population, and state apparatus: The power dynamics of two noncivilian political actors 62 The independence of Egypt and the studied political actors 63 Anatomy of a political, territorial distribution 65 The MB: decentralized or centralized? 65 The army and its centralization 67 The current state of centralization, in a nutshell 68 Notes 70 4. Collective violence and contention 1.0: Collective violence and failed negotiations 73 Failed negotiations, part one: 1949-54 74 The Muslim sisters: domination, revival, and survival of the MB 76 Terrorism, political violence, or collective violence 79 Political violence, governmentality, and the state: the 1990s 80 Summary of this chapter 81 Notes 82 5. Civilianization of the noncivilian, governmentality, and a crumbled rivalry: Until the Mubarak era 85 Army men, businessmen, and the MOI: a different power dynamic 85 The MB's neoliberalism: more of the same 87 The MB's financial foundations 89 Member contributions 89 Charity remittances 89 Active businesses 90 External and international sources of funds and investments 91 Conclusion 92 Notes 93 6. The 2011 political opening and its repercussions 95 Prelude to 2011: political actors, diversity, and dissent 95 The political context of 2011 97 The political opening of 2011: rejuvenation and renegotiation 103 Notes 106 7. Rejuvenation and power struggle: A renewed rivalry 109 An exchange through public discourse: an exercise 111 A dialogue and its analyses 112 January 25, 2011 112 January 28, 2011 112 January 28-29; January 31, 2011 114 Army statement no. 1 115 Army statement no. 2 116 Statement from the vice president 116 Army statement no. 3 117 Songs in the square 118 More army statements 119 Constitutional proclamation, February 13, 201 119 Army statement no. 4 120 Safeguarding 121 Monopolies 121 Maspero 123 Mistrust 125 Joining in, or not 125 Candidacy 125 Notes 129 8. Revisited aspects and repercussions of the renewed rivalry: Coup d'état and collective violence 2.0 133 Failed negotiations, part two: an army-MB political tradition (2011-4) 133 al-Irhab 2.0 135 From Urabi to el-Sisi: symbols that remained and were rejuvenated 137 The repercussions of Islamist female subjugation in the MB 138 The MB's and the army's political economy post-2011: destination governmentality 140 The Egyptian army's political economy after 2011: where negotiations failed 142 Summary 144 Notes 144 9. Authoritarian renewal and neo-military society, 2014-21 147 The new July State, power,and narrative 148 Centralization and the neo-military society project: hegemony, political economy, and space 151 Conclusion 155 Notes 155 Conclusion 159 Summary of main findings 162 Left out but not ignored 167 Egypt today 167 Final concluding remark 169 Notes 169 Bibliography 171 Index 182 Neo-Military,Society;,Coup,d’état;,power,struggle;,governmentality;,Mubarak,era; Neo-Military Society,Coup d’état,power struggle,governmentality,Mubarak era "This book provides an analysis of the relationship between the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). This is at times of cooperation, collaboration, rivalry and enmity, offering a vivid perspective as to how the similarities of both political actors bring them together after decades of invisible presence in the Egyptian political field. Using ethnographic material that includes interviews, observations, and other forms of expression, both political actors' common trajectories are analyzed in terms of power dynamics. The study allows an insight on the understanding of the differences between: madani (civil), 'askari (military) and dini (religious), how they are used and projected on the Egyptian political field. Finally, the book provides a dialogue simulation of the discourse of the MB and army starting 2011, while analyzing the meaning of this exchange in terms of symbols, power, and mobilization. In highlighting similar elements to their respective governmentalities, this book outlines a new analysis to the rivalry, making it an important contribution for scholars and students interested in collective violence, civil-military relations, and political Islam in the Middle East"-- Provided by publisher This book provides an analysis of the relationship between the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). This is at times of cooperation, collaboration, rivalry, and enmity, offering a vivid perspective as to how the similarities of both political actors bring them together after decades of invisible presence in the Egyptian political field. Using ethnographic material that includes interviews, observations, and other forms of expression, both political actors’ common trajectories are analyzed in terms of power dynamics. The study allows an insight on the understanding of the differences between madani (civil), ‘askari (military), and dini (religious), how they are used and projected on the Egyptian political field. Finally, the book provides a dialogue simulation of the discourse of the MB and army, starting 2011, while analyzing the meaning of this exchange in terms of symbols, power, and mobilization. In highlighting similar elements to their respective governmentalities, this book outlines a new analysis of the rivalry, making it an important contribution for scholars and students interested in collective violence, civil–military relations, and political Islam in the Middle East.