ABSTRACT
Egypt is particularly suitable for a substantial, inclusive handbook to serve the dual purposes of introducing readers to the country’s recent history and contemporary political economy, serving as a textbook for relevant courses. Egypt is a remarkably salient country due to its unique cultural heritage, its geographic location at the hinge between Africa and Asia, its long history of regional political and economic centrality, and its site as a battleground for contending global powers from Roman times until today. The handbook thus addresses both the causes and consequences of unbalanced civil-military relations, military rule, persisting authoritarianism in the political society, relevant to other states that share at least some of these characteristics. Reflecting both the diversity of causes of Egypt’s contemporary standing and its future prospects, as well as the predominant influence of politics in shaping the economy society, this inclusive of a range of relevant topics while seeking to relate them to the central role of politics.
