The Muslim Brotherhood and the West : A History of Enmity and Engagement

__The Muslim Brotherhood and the West__ is the first comprehensive history of the relationship between the world’s largest Islamist movement and the Western powers that have dominated the Middle East for the past century: Britain and the United States. In the decades since the Brotherhood emerged in Egypt in the 1920s, the movement’s notion of “the West” has remained central to its worldview and a key driver of its behavior. From its founding, the Brotherhood stood opposed to the British Empire and Western cultural influence more broadly. As British power gave way to American, the Brotherhood’s leaders, committed to a vision of more authentic Islamic societies, oscillated between anxiety or paranoia about the West and the need to engage with it. Western officials, for their part, struggled to understand the Brotherhood, unsure whether to shun the movement as one of dangerous “fanatics” or to embrace it as a moderate and inevitable part of the region’s political scene. Too often, diplomats failed to view the movement on its own terms, preferring to impose their own external agendas and obsessions. Martyn Frampton reveals the history of this complex and charged relationship down to the eve of the Arab Spring. Drawing on extensive archival research in London and Washington and the Brotherhood’s writings in Arabic and English, he provides the most authoritative assessment to date of a relationship that is both vital in itself and crucial to navigating one of the world’s most turbulent regions. This Book Examines The History Of The Relationship Between The World's Largest And Most Influential Islamist Organization, The Muslim Brotherhood, And The Western Powers That Have Dominated The Middle East, The United Kingdom And The United States.it Examines The Relationship That Has Existed In The Shadows Of Public Attention And Scholarly Interest; Where It Has Been Considered, This Subject Has Been Dominated By Conspiracy Theory And Hyperbole. By Contrast, This Book Draws On The Memoirs And Publications Of The Brotherhood (in Both Arabic And English), As Well As Extensive Archival Research In Both London And Washington To Offer An In-depth Understanding Of How Relations Between This Movement And The West Have Oscillated Between A Posture Of Enmity (on Both Sides), To Moments When Engagement Has Been Contemplated And Occasionally Attempted. In The Process, The Book Offers An Important New Perspective On The History Of The Brotherhood, In Particular Highlighting The Centrality Of Ideas About 'the West' To The Group's Worldview. At The Same Time, The Book Offers Fresh Insight Into The Nature Of Anglo-american Foreign Policy Making In The Middle East Over The Course Of The Twentieth Century.-- Part One. Origins And First Encounters, 1928-1939 -- Wartime Liaisons, 1940-1944 -- Best Of Enemies, 1944-1949 -- The War Of The Canal Zone, 1950-1952 -- Part Two. The Upheavals Of Revolution, 1952-1954 -- In The Age Of Nasser, 1955-1970 -- Reassessments Amidst The Fundamentalist Revival, 1970-1989 -- Blurred Lines And New Debates, 1989-2010. Martyn Frampton. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the YearIn the century since the Muslim Brotherhood first emerged in Egypt, its idea of “the West” has remained a key driver of its behavior. From its founding, the Brotherhood stood opposed to the British Empire and Western cultural influence. Its leaders hoped to create more pristine, authentically Islamic societies. As British power gave way to American, the Brotherhood oscillated between anxiety about the West and the need to engage with it, while American and British officials struggled to understand the group, unsure whether to shun or embrace it.The Muslim Brotherhood and the West offers the first comprehensive history of the relationship between the world's largest Islamist movement and the powers that have dominated the Middle East for the past hundred years. Drawing on extensive archival research in London and Washington and the Brotherhood's writings in Arabic and English, Martyn Frampton reveals the history of this charged relationship down to the eve of the Arab Spring. What emerges is an authoritative account of a story that is crucial to understanding one of the world's most turbulent regions.“Rigorous yet absorbing...Fills a crucial gap in the literature and will be essential reading not just for scholars, but for anyone seeking to understand the ever-problematic relationship between religion and politics in today's Middle East.”—Financial Times“Breaks new ground by examining the links between the Egyptian Brotherhood's relations with Britain and...the United States.”—Times Literary Supplement

The Muslim Brotherhood and the West is the first comprehensive history of the relationship between the world's largest Islamist movement and the Western powers that have dominated the Middle East for the past century: Britain and the United States.In the decades since the Brotherhood emerged in Egypt in the 1920s, the movement's notion of "the West" has remained central to its worldview and a key driver of its behavior. From its founding, the Brotherhood stood opposed to the British Empire and Western cultural influence more broadly. As British power gave way to American, the Brotherhood's leaders, committed to a vision of more authentic Islamic societies, oscillated between anxiety or paranoia about the West and the need to engage with it. Western officials, for their part, struggled to understand the Brotherhood, unsure whether to shun the movement as one of dangerous "fanatics" or to embrace it as a moderate and inevitable part of the region's political scene. Too often, diplomats failed to view the movement on its own terms, preferring to impose their own external agendas and obsessions.Martyn Frampton reveals the history of this complex and charged relationship down to the eve of the Arab Spring. Drawing on extensive archival research in London and Washington and the Brotherhood's writings in Arabic and English, he provides the most authoritative assessment to date of a relationship that is both vital in itself and crucial to navigating one of the world's most turbulent regions.

This book examines the history of the relationship between the world's largest and most influential Islamist organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the western powers that have dominated the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It examines the relationship that has existed in the shadows of public attention and scholarly interest; where it has been considered, this subject has been dominated by conspiracy theory and hyperbole. By contrast, this book draws on the memoirs and publications of the Brotherhood (in both Arabic and English), as well as extensive archival research in both London and Washington to offer an in-depth understanding of how relations between this movement and the West have oscillated between a posture of enmity (on both sides), to moments when engagement has been contemplated and occasionally attempted. In the process, the book offers an important new perspective on the history of the Brotherhood, in particular highlighting the centrality of ideas about 'the West' to the group's worldview. At the same time, the book offers fresh insight into the nature of Anglo-American foreign policy making in the Middle East over the course of the twentieth century.-- Provided by publisher Contents Note on Transliteration and Spelling Introduction PART I. In the Shadow of Empire Origins and First Encounters 1928–1939 Wartime Liaisons 1940–1944 Best of Enemies 1944–1949 The War of the Canal Zone 1950–1952 PART II. In the Age of America The Upheavals of Revolution 1952–1954 The Age of Nasser 1955–1970 Reassessments amid the “Fundamentalist” Revival 1970–1989 Blurred Lines and New Debates 1989–2010 Conclusion Notes Acknowledgments Index Drawing on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Arabic and English writings and on archival research in London and Washington, Martyn Frampton provides the first comprehensive history of the charged relationship between the world’s largest Islamist movement and the Western powers that have dominated the Middle East for a century: Britain and the United States.