Sadat And After: Struggles For Egypt's Political Soul
Reviewed by John C. Campbell
It is the thesis of this book that Egyptian history and politics cannot be fully understood if seen only in the framework of the official establishment and its domestic and foreign policies. Baker selects a number of organized movements from outside the mainstream (though generally tolerated and allowed public expression) that have represented significant currents of thought about the plight and future of Egyptian society. Among them are the Nasserists, the liberals (represented here mainly by the Bar Association), the Marxists, the intellectuals of the Al-Ahram Center, and the Muslim Brothers. The period covered is the 1970s, the decade of Sadat (of whom almost all these groups were critical), with occasional references to events of earlier or later years. An original and enlightening study.
Sign-up for free weekly updates from ForeignAffairs.com.