The American University in Cairo
Government and Politics in Egypt
Political Science 325
Sunday and Wednesday 2:00- 3:15
Instructor: Dr.Ashraf El Sherif
Office: 2006 HUSS
Office Hours: Sunday and Wednesday 12:30-2:00
E-mail: aelsherif@aucegypt.edu
Course Objective
This course offers a historical and thematic analysis of the nature and dynamics of modern
Egyptian politics including the state institutions, civil-military relations, parliaments and
political parties, ideology and political economy. The objective of this course is to study the
evolution of Egypt's political institutions, processes and dynamics highlighting its elements
of continuity and change. The first part of the course will be chronological, intended to give
students a basic knowledge of the history and evolution of Egyptian political institutions.
The course will start by searching state origins in Mohammed Ali's time and the regime's
origins in Nasser's time. We will then proceed to Sadat's period that constituted the
backdrop of the Mubarak's periods that will form the second part of the course.. The second
part will be thematic, in which we will deepen our knowledge of some key political issues
facing Egypt today that have led Egypt to the 2011 revolution and shape its post 2011
political arena. Such themes will include but are not limited to the following:, the rise of the
second republic, civil participation, social movements, civil society, ideological actors, the
role of the military, parliamentary elections, presidential elections and the evolving legal
structure. The last part of the course will highlight the 2011 revolution and its political
impacts
Course Requirement
In view of the fact that lectures and presentations will complement rather than reiterate the
assigned readings, it is expected that you attend all class meetings. You will be held responsible
for all the material we cover in readings, lectures and films. Attendance is also mandatory for
all exams, and make-ups will be given only for bona fide emergencies (i.e., severe illness
documented by a physician). If a student misses four or more classes (including illness)
her/his grade will drop by one full letter grade. Five or more absences will lead to failure of
this course. There are no exceptions to this rule. Participation: In addition to being
physically present, I expect you to be mentally present as well! As such, you should complete
all assigned readings before each class meeting, so that you are familiar with the concepts, facts,
theories, and controversies with which we are dealing.
A midterm exam will be held in class and students will be expected to answer short answer
questions, identification terms and a long essay question. The same applies to the final exam
which will be held according to the university final exam schedule. A research paper of
between 2500 to 3000 words is to be submitted on the last day of class, the topic of the
paper must be relevant to the course subject matter
Grade Distribution
Class Attendance and Participation:
Research paper
Midterm exam:
Final exam:
20%
30 %
30%
30%
Course Grading:
Please note that the course is based on the following grading system:
A Category (A, A-)
100-90%
B Category (B+, B, B-)
89-80%
C Category (C+, C, C-)
79-70%
D Category
69-60%
F Category
59 and Below
Course Outline
February 3rd
Introduction:
Part I- Rise of the modern Egyptian state authoritarianism
February 6th
Mohammed Ali and the foundation of the modern Egyptian state.
- A Marsot. A short history of modern Egypt. Chap. 4: the beginning of the state system.
-Vatikiotis: A history of modern Egypt. Chap. 4.
February 10th
The rise and fall of the semi-Liberal experiment
- Afaf Marsot, A short history of modern Egypt, chap. 5.
- Joel Gordon, Nasser's blessed movement, chap 1, A country of failure.
February 13th
The foundation of the July authoritarian regime.
R. Baker. Egypt's uncertain revolution. Chap 2, Building a political-economic order
17th
Egypt Under Nasser by Johnson, Peter Middle East Research and Information Project 10 (1972):
JSTOR
February 20th
The dilemma of the July regime
- Baker, Egypt's uncertain revolutiop: Chap 3, Bureaucratic feudalism.
- Baker. Egypt's uncertain revolution: chap 4, Nasser's search for a new way.
February 24th
Sadat and the restoration of the July regime
- Baker, Egypt's uncertain revolution… Chap. 6, Sadat's Egypt takes for
February 27th
Sadat and the limits of political liberalization
-John Waterbury, The Egypt of Nasser and Sadat, chap. 15, Controlled liberalization under
Sadat.
-R. Hinnebusch. Egypt under Sadat: Social Problems, Vol. 28, No. 4, Apr., 1981), pp. 442464.
Part II- Egyptian politics under Mubarak: Stalled state and turbulent society
March 3rd
Mubarak: the rule of security logic
- Robert Springborg, Mubarak's Egypt, chap. 2, Mubarak, the political elite…
- Robert Springborg, Mubarak's Egypt, chap 5, the system of political control.
March 6th
The crisis of the rentier State in Egypt
-Soliman, S. Strong regime, weak state. Fiscal crisis and political change under Mubarak.
Stanford university press.
2010. Introduction and chaps 1and 6
-Ulrich Wurzel. The political economy of authoritarianism in Egypt. In Laura Guazzone
and Daniela Pioppi. TheArab state and neo-liberal globalization.
March 10th
Social Conflict and political change
- Joel Beinin. Workers’ Protest in Egypt: Neo-liberalism and Class Struggle in 21st Century.
Social Movement Studies, Vol. 8, No. 4, 449–454, November 2009.
- Francoise Clément. Workers protests under economic liberalization in Egypt. In Nicholas
Hopkins (ed.). Political and social protest in Egypt. Cairo papers in social science, vol.29,
n. 2/3. p.135-154.
March 13th
Midterm
March 17th
Secular versus Islamic: The conflict over the public space
- Meir Hatina. On the margins of consensus: the call to separate religion and the state in
modern Egypt. Middle Eastern Studies, Jan2000, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p35, 33p.
- Farha Ghannam. Remaking the modern: space, relocation, and the politics of identity in a
global Cairo. Chap. 4.
March 20th
Islamists: The Muslim brothers and Islamic radicals: Stability and transformation of
Egypt's strongest political force
- D. Sullivan and S. Kotob, Islam in contemporary Egypt, chap. 3.
- M. El-Ghobashy. The Metamorphosis of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers. International
Journal of Middle East Studies; Aug2005, Vol. 37 Issue 3, p373-395, 23p.
Johan Le. Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or reality?, chapter 4
March 24th
The sectarian problem in Egypt
- D Zeidan. The copts- Equal, protected or Persecuted? The impact of islamization on
Muslim-Christians relations in Modern Egypt.
- Samer soliman. Coptic protests in Egypt. In Nicholas Hopkins (ed.). Political and social
protest in Egypt. Cairo papers in social science, vol.29, n. 2/3. p.135-154
March 27th
Egypt's civil society
- Maha Abdelrahman. Civil society exposed. Chap. 6.
- Samer Soliman. The State and syndicates crisis in Egypt. In Egypt's Human development
report. 2007.
April 3rd
Egypt' weak political parties
- May Kassem. In the guise of democracy. Chap. 3.
Albrecht, Holger (2005), “How Can Opposition Support Authoritarianism? Lessons from
Egypt,” Democratization, 12, 3, pp. 378-397
April 7th
Reforming the regime and the ruling party
- Jason Brownlee. A New Generation of Autocracy in Egypt. The Brown journal of world
affairs. Fall/Winter 2007. volume xiv, issue
-Evaluating Egyptian Reform by Dunne, Michele Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
January 2006
- The Internal Stakes of the 2005 Elections: The Struggle for the Influence of Egypt’s National Democratic
Party by Collombier, Virginie
The Middle East Journal (2007)
April 10th
The army and politics
- Vatikiotis, P. J. (1961): The Egyptian Army in Politics, (Indiana UP). P.3-20.
- Harb, Imad (2003): “The Egyptian Military in Politics: Disengagement or
Accommodation,” Middle East Journal, 57, 2, pp. 269-290
April 14th
Egypt new protest movements
-Robert Springborg. Protest against a Hybrid State. In N. Hopkins (ed.). Political and
social protest in Egypt. Cairo papers in social science, vol.29, n. 2/3. p.6-18.
-Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyid. Kefaya at a turning point. In N. Hopkins (ed.). Political and
social protest in Egypt. p.45-59.
-Nathalie Bernard. In Nicholas Hopkins. Political and social protest in EgypT
Part III: 2011 revolution and the making of the new republic
April 17th
1) 2011 Revolution:
Revolutionary Movements): Muslim Brotherhood, National Association for Change,
Revolutionary Youth Coalition, April 6th Youth Movement, Kifaya, “We Are All
KhaledSaeed” Facebook Page)
Timeline: Egypt’s Revolution
Analysis: Egypt Revolution and the collapse of the Mubarak regime
Shadi Hamid, Egypt: The Prize, in The Arab Awakening: America and the
Transformation of the Middle East, Brookings Institution Press.
Michael S. Doran, “The Impact of New Media: The Revolution will be Tweeted,” pp. 39-46
in “The Arab Awakening,” Brookings Press.
Stuart Schaar, “Arab Dictatorship Under Fire in the New Information Age,” Economic and
Political Review (Mumbai, India), Feb. 5, 2011.
Other Readings TBA
April 21st
2)Ideological and political contenders and the creation of a new public sphere
El-Sherif, Ashraf : Islamism after the Arab Spring, Current History, December 2011.
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “The Muslim Brotherhood on the edge of Reform.” al-Masry al-Youm
English. April 4th, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/385618
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Re-inventing the Muslim Brotherhood.” al-Masry al-Youm English.
February 21st, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/325755
Jonathan Brown, Salafis and Sufis in Egypt. Carnegie papers,
http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/12/20/salafis-and-sufis-in-egypt/8kfk
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya: Battle Within.” al-Masry al-Youm English. August
29th, 2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/490799
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “What do the Salafis really want?” al-Masry al-Youm Enligsh. March 29th,
2011. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/379522
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The Salafi Movement: The Competing Visions." Egypt independent,
November 1st, 2012 http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/salafi-movementcompeting-visions-part-1
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “Egypt’s emboldened Islamist reformists”. SADA, Carnegie January 12th,
2012. http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2012/01/12/egypt-s-new-islamistsemboldening-reform-from-within/8z6r
El-Sherif, Ashraf.. “The Ultras politics of fun confront tyranny.” Jadaliyya.com. February 05th
, 2012. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4243/the-ultras-politics-of-fun-confronttyranny
Other readings TBA
May 8th
3) Transitional period politics and the Parliamentary Elections:
The Egyptian Elections: Why the Islamists won
Egypt’s Parliament Dissolved by Court; Elections Ruled Unconstitutional
Egypt’s Judges and Generals Dissolve Parliament.
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "Egypt's transitional period will never end." Egypt Independent, May 1st,
2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/egypts-transitional-period-will-never-end
Jason Brownlee "Egypt's incomplete Revolution: The Challenge of Post-Mubarak
Authoritarianism". Jadalliya.com
Nathan Brown, When Victory Becomes an Option: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Confronts
Success http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/01/10/when-victorybecomes-option-egypt-s-muslim-brotherhood-confronts-success/8y4l
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "On Illusions of Power- transfer and the zero-sum politics in Egypt". AlShorouk newspaper.
http://www.shorouknews.com/columns/view.aspx?cdate=06052012&id=d79fea77-074144f3-842c-d28ee9c97cd1
May 12th
4)Re-revolution: rage at SCAF
Maspero, Muhammad Mahmoud and al-Qasr al-Eeni epics
El-Sherif, Ashraf. “The Secret group ruling Egypt: The deep state and its collapse”. Egypt
independent. March 5th, 2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/617826
Jeff Martini and Julie Taylor, “Commanding Democracy in Egypt: The Militray’s Attempt to
manage the Future,” pp. 127-137, Foreign Affairs, Sept.-Oct. 2011.
Joshua Stacher, Egypt’s Democratic Mirage: How Cairo’s Authoritarian Regime Is Adapting
to Preserve Itself, Foreign Affairs, February. 2011.
Ellis Goldberg, Mubarakism Without Mubarak: Why Egypt’s Military Will Not Embrace
Democracy, February, 2011. Foreign Affairs.
Robert Springborg "What Egypt's military does not want its citizens to know?" Foreign
Policy, January 10th, 2012
Joshua Stacher "Blame the SCAF for Egypt's problems".. Foreign Policy, October 11, 2011.
May 15th
5) Presidential elections
El-Sherif, Ashraf."Shater: Between a deep state and a fractured Brotherhood". Egypt
independent. April 5th, 2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/753221
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The need for self-criticism after the first round." Egypt Independent, June
5th, 2012 http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/need-self-criticism-after-first-round
El-Sherif, Ashraf."What after the Presidential elections?" Akhbar al-Adab. June 9th, 2012
http://dar.akhbarelyom.org.eg/issuse/detailze.asp?mag=a&said=&field=news&id=4626
Other readings TBA
May 19th
Is the revolution over? Super-revolution or re-consolidation of the “Taifas” state?
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "Brotherly No More." SADA, Carnegie, January 18th, 2013.
http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/01/18/brotherly-no-more/f304
El-Sherif, Ashraf. "The Taifas State." Egypt independent, December 12th, 2012
http://www.egyptindependent.com/opinion/taifas-state
Other readings TBA