Local Government in Egypt

Local Government in Egypt PDF

Author: James B. Mayfield

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13:

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This book contains a wealth of information about the structure and functions of local government in Egypt.

The Struggle for Egypt

The Struggle for Egypt PDF

Author: Steven A. Cook

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-10-07

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 019992080X

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The recent revolution in Egypt has shaken the Arab world to its roots. The most populous Arab country and the historical center of Arab intellectual life, Egypt is a linchpin of the US's Middle East strategy, receiving more aid than any nation except Israel. This is not the first time that the world and has turned its gaze to Egypt, however. A half century ago, Egypt under Nasser became the putative leader of the Arab world and a beacon for all developing nations. Yet in the decades prior to the 2011 revolution, it was ruled over by a sclerotic regime plagued by nepotism and corruption. During that time, its economy declined into near shambles, a severely overpopulated Cairo fell into disrepair, and it produced scores of violent Islamic extremists such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atta. In The Struggle for Egypt, Steven Cook--a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations--explains how this parlous state of affairs came to be, why the revolution occurred, and where Egypt might be headed next. A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era, it incisively chronicles all of the nation's central historical episodes: the decline of British rule, the rise of Nasser and his quest to become a pan-Arab leader, Egypt's decision to make peace with Israel and ally with the United States, the assassination of Sadat, the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, and--finally--the demonstrations that convulsed Tahrir Square and overthrew an entrenched regime. Throughout Egypt's history, there has been an intense debate to define what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world. Egyptians now have an opportunity to finally answer these questions. Doing so in a way that appeals to the vast majority of Egyptians, Cook notes, will be difficult but ultimately necessary if Egypt is to become an economically dynamic and politically vibrant society.

Field of Reeds

Field of Reeds PDF

Author: James B. Mayfield

Publisher: Author House

Published: 2012-11-14

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 9781477274903

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Have you ever wondered: 1. Who built the Pyramids of Egypt and who are their descendents today? 2. Why does the author challenge the great Greek historian Herodotus, by auguring that Egypt is more a gift from the Fellahin, than a gift of the Nile? 3. What great event happened in the early 1960s that completely changed the life of the peasants of Egypt? 4. Why did the peasants (fellahin) of Egypt not engage in a massive revolt in the 1990s, when the Government allowed landowners to reclaim their land that the peasants had been cultivating for over 30 years? 5. Do you know the story of the village of Dinshaway that precipitated a national crisis, and that eventually forced Great Britain to leave Egypt after over fifty years of colonial rule? 6. Are the villagers of Egypt prone to violence or to submissiveness and what does that tell us about the future of Egypt? 7. Which farmers in the world have the highest yields in wheat, rice and corn? 8. Are the villagers of Egypt favorable to the Islamic extremist or more favorable to some form of democracy based upon moderate Islam? 9. Where do villagers say they want to live, if they could live any place in the world? 10. Why did a friend email the author on September 12, 2012 and tell him: Please tell the American people that the Egyptians they see storming the American embassy do not represent the people of Egypt. They are mostly a misguided minority of people who see the world through clouded glasses of hatred and bigotry, provoked and misinformed by extremists who share an agenda that is unIslamic, violent and destructive for Egypts future. Dr. James Mayfield, professor of Middle East Studies since 1967, has been studying the villages of Egypt (as a student, professor, researcher, trainer, manager and consultant) for over 40 years. This is a very comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, study of the rural Egypt. This book presents chapters on the history, the culture, the local government system, village schools and health care systems, the agricultural systems, causes and solutions for extreme poverty, the challenge of establishing a civil society in Egypt, and what prospects there are or democracy in Egypt. Each chapter includes a short narration story that brings the existence and culture of the Egyptian villagers to life through short but rich examples of how the Egyptian peasants (fellahin) live, work and survive in a world filled with challenges, problems, but also opportunities and hope for the future.

The Dilemma of Authoritarian Local Governance in Egypt

The Dilemma of Authoritarian Local Governance in Egypt PDF

Author: Hani Awad

Publisher: EUP

Published: 2024-02-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781399502542

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Examines how centralised authoritarian regimes upgrade their system of local governance The authoritarian upgrading process in Egypt has enabled the regime to have a more effective dominance in local politics and to enhance its political control. However, its strategies failed to overcome the weakness of system mobilisation functions, which reflected the authoritarian dilemma of bridging the national and the local. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, Hani Awad explores the formal and informal decentralisation strategies employed under three regimes (Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak) to upgrade the Egyptian system of local governance without giving up power or democratising local governments. He traces the rise and increasing influence of Islamist challenges to loyalist networks and explains how the efficacy of Islamist mobilisation over the past two decades influenced the region's response to the events of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Key features  Offers a comprehensive understanding of the way that the Egyptian authoritarian regime has upgraded its system of local governance since Nasser  Maps out the motivations for the process of authoritarian upgrading of local governance, as well as its benefits for authoritarianism  Analyses of the role of the state ruling party, focusing on the changing relationships between the local state and the Arab Socialist Union (1962-78) and the former National Democratic Party (1978-2011)  Includes a microanalysis based on extensive fieldwork in the Greater Cairo peri-urban fringe Hani Awad is a Researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Doha Institute.

Cairo Contested

Cairo Contested PDF

Author: Diane Singerman

Publisher: American University in Cairo Press

Published: 2011-10-01

Total Pages: 631

ISBN-13: 1617973890

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This cross-disciplinary, ethnographic, contextualized, and empirical volume explores the meaning and significance of urban space, and maps the spatial inscription of power on the mega-city of Cairo. Suspicious of collective life and averse to power-sharing, Egyptian governance structures weaken but do not stop the public's role in the remaking of their city. What happens to a city where neo-liberalism has scaled back public services and encouraged the privatization of public goods, while the vast majority cannot afford the effects of such policies? Who wins and loses in the "march to the modern and the global" as the government transforms urban spaces and markets in the name of growth, security, tourism, and modernity? How do Cairenes struggle with an ambiguous and vulnerable legal and bureaucratic environment when legality is a privilege affordable only to the few or the connected? This companion volume to Cairo Cosmopolitan (AUC Press, 2006) further develops the central insights of the Cairo School of Urban Studies.

Ruling But Not Governing

Ruling But Not Governing PDF

Author: Steven A. Cook

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2007-05-01

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 0801896061

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Ruling But Not Governing highlights the critical role that the military plays in the stability of the Egyptian, Algerian, and, until recently, Turkish political systems. This in-depth study demonstrates that while the soldiers and materiel of Middle Eastern militaries form the obvious outer perimeter of regime protection, it is actually the less apparent, multilayered institutional legacies of military domination that play the decisive role in regime maintenance. Steven A. Cook uncovers the complex and nuanced character of the military’s interest in maintaining a facade of democracy. He explores how an authoritarian elite hijack seemingly democratic practices such as elections, multiparty politics, and a relatively freer press as part of a strategy to ensure the durability of authoritarian systems. Using Turkey’s recent reforms as a point of departure, the study also explores ways external political actors can improve the likelihood of political change in Egypt and Algeria. Ruling But Not Governing provides valuable insight into the political dynamics that perpetuate authoritarian regimes and offers novel ways to promote democratic change.