Egypt After Nasser: Sadat, Peace And The Mirage Of Prosperity

The author, who spent most of the years of Sadat's presidency as correspondent of The Washington Post in Cairo, writes not just as an observer of the passing scene but as a keen political analyst judging the successes and failures of Sadat and Mubarak and exploring the underlying problems for which neither leader had or could have satisfactory answers. The book is excellent in bringing to life the sounds, smells and teeming humanity of Cairo, the persisting appeal of Islam as other ideologies are seen to fail, and the bleak economic outlook for the long term.