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Egypt by Robert Springborg
Feb. 10th, 2019 10:43 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Egypt is one of the few great empires of antiquity that exists today as a nation state. Despite its extraordinary record of national endurance, the pressures to which Egypt is currently subjected and which are bound to intensify are already straining the ties that hold its political community together, while rendering the task of governing it ever more difficult.
In this timely book, Robert Springborg explains how a country with such a long and impressive history has come to find itself in this parlous condition. As Egyptians become steadily more divided by class, religion, region, ethnicity, gender, and contrasting views of how, by whom, and for what purposes they should be governed, so their rulers become ever more fearful, repressive, and unrepresentative. Caught in a downward spiral in which poor governance is both cause and consequence, Egypt is facing a future so uncertain that it could end up resembling neighbouring countries that have collapsed under similar loads. The Egyptian “hot spot”, Springborg argues, is destined to become steadily hotter, with ominous implications for its peoples, the Middle East and North Africa, and the wider world.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Robert Springborg is a retired Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and in this fascinating, informative and profoundly depressing book that’s clearly written and easy to follow he describes the structural factors that have played their part over the last 70 years in driving Egypt to the point of crisis where division is rife and government more repressive, inefficient and authoritarian.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Egypt is one of the few great empires of antiquity that exists today as a nation state. Despite its extraordinary record of national endurance, the pressures to which Egypt is currently subjected and which are bound to intensify are already straining the ties that hold its political community together, while rendering the task of governing it ever more difficult.
In this timely book, Robert Springborg explains how a country with such a long and impressive history has come to find itself in this parlous condition. As Egyptians become steadily more divided by class, religion, region, ethnicity, gender, and contrasting views of how, by whom, and for what purposes they should be governed, so their rulers become ever more fearful, repressive, and unrepresentative. Caught in a downward spiral in which poor governance is both cause and consequence, Egypt is facing a future so uncertain that it could end up resembling neighbouring countries that have collapsed under similar loads. The Egyptian “hot spot”, Springborg argues, is destined to become steadily hotter, with ominous implications for its peoples, the Middle East and North Africa, and the wider world.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Robert Springborg is a retired Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and in this fascinating, informative and profoundly depressing book that’s clearly written and easy to follow he describes the structural factors that have played their part over the last 70 years in driving Egypt to the point of crisis where division is rife and government more repressive, inefficient and authoritarian.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
