The Egyptian Revolution

The author examines how Egyptians have received the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and its progress in the two years that followed Hosni Mubarak's demise, from the moment the revolution erupted on January 25 to the day President Mohamed Morsi delivered his speech on December 6, 2012, in face of mounting protests calling for his downfall.

Since Egypt under Mubarak was America's stalwart ally in the Arab world, throughout the book the text also touches on American-Egyptian relations and whether Egyptians can achieve their dream of establishing a stable democratic state without U.S. economic assistance or "U.S. meddling" in their country's internal affairs.

Embracing a discourse analysis approach, the book consists of two parts. Part I documents the events of the Friday of Anger, police withdrawal and the vigilantes, Black Wednesday (known among Egyptians as the Battle of the Camel), and Friday of Departure. One chapter focuses on the social media and its role in the revolution. Part II focuses on the aftermath of the revolution, covering the constitutional amendment, the trial of Mubarak, the presidential debate, Morsi's ascendance to power and the challenges he faced in his first five months in office.

Coverage of such a crucial period in the history of a strategically important nation such as Egypt, written by someone stationed there, makes this book a vital read, not only for the ordinary reader but for university students, public officials, and those who have an interest in Middle Eastern politics, history, and culture. The material also offers insights to help interpret events unfolding elsewhere in the Middle East and assessing U.S. involvement.

While there are other books out there on the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, none of them inclusively covers its aftermath -- twenty two months of events. Furthermore, the author wrote this in-depth work while in Egypt, offering not only the media's opinion on the issue but also conducting many interviews with ordinary Egyptians.