The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
The Muslim Brotherhood1 has always been very controversial. Since its creation in the late 1920s, it has been at the heart of Egypt’s most important upheavals and struggles. As a Pan- Islamist religious and social movement, its self-stated aim is “Islam is the solution”. During the early days of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African Studies
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Zapiski-2-2023-10-132-146-Mourad-Aty.pdf |
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| Summary: | The Muslim Brotherhood1 has always been very controversial. Since its creation in the
late 1920s, it has been at the heart of Egypt’s most important upheavals and struggles. As a Pan-
Islamist religious and social movement, its self-stated aim is “Islam is the solution”. During the early
days of the so-called “Arab Spring,” the movement was the readiest political power to go through the
electoral process and achieve victory far more than any other party. This was due to its long history in
charity and social services and the well-organized preachers who are deeply rooted in Egyptian
society. The sharp victory in the 2011 Legislative Elections was not enough for the movement. Backed
by his Islamist allies and most of the youth who participated in the “Revolution,” Mohamed Morsi ran
for president and won in 2012. One year later, he was ousted after a “second uprising” in the streets
of Cairo and many other Egyptian cities. Another crackdown was inevitable and the movement went
back to clandestinity. Amidst all these events, the United States under President Obama could not
distance itself from what was going on. In the beginning, the US administration was divided over the
popular uprisings in the whole region and in Egypt in particular. In Egypt, the Obama administration
backed Morsi during his presidency although his movement was known to be traditionally against
Western interests in the region. Many Egyptian politicians were into the idea that the cabinet was
compromised and officials with connections to the Muslim Brotherhood were influencing the decisionmaking
process. When it was time, the US government has leaned into the army which is the only
institution that guarantees the peace treaty with Israel. The aim of this paper is to provide an
understanding to the blur in the US stance before and during the period when the army took over. It
explains the major interests which did not make the issue of democracy a priority and led to the
disposal from the Muslim Brotherhood. |
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| ISSN: | 2412-5717 3034-3496 |