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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: ATY Mourad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African Studies 2023-06-01
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
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850184849101422592
author ATY Mourad
author_facet ATY Mourad
author_sort ATY Mourad
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-c7dc3e83136a4fb9aab42a64d06f8188
institution OA Journals
issn 2412-5717
3034-3496
language English
publishDate 2023-06-01
publisher Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African Studies
record_format Article
series Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук
spelling doaj-art-c7dc3e83136a4fb9aab42a64d06f81882025-08-20T02:16:55ZengRussian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African StudiesУченые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук2412-57173034-34962023-06-019213214610.31132/2412-5717-2023-63-2-132-146The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?ATY Mourad0Associate Professor, University 8 May 1945 – Guelma/Algeria, Researcher, CEAUP – University of Porto/PortugalThe 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.https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Zapiski-2-2023-10-132-146-Mourad-Aty.pdfarab springegyptmuslim brotherhoodobama administration
spellingShingle ATY Mourad
The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук
arab spring
egypt
muslim brotherhood
obama administration
title The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
title_full The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
title_fullStr The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
title_full_unstemmed The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
title_short The Obama Administration and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (2010-2016): Ally or Predicament?
title_sort obama administration and egypt s muslim brotherhood 2010 2016 ally or predicament
topic arab spring
egypt
muslim brotherhood
obama administration
url https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Zapiski-2-2023-10-132-146-Mourad-Aty.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT atymourad theobamaadministrationandegyptsmuslimbrotherhood20102016allyorpredicament
AT atymourad obamaadministrationandegyptsmuslimbrotherhood20102016allyorpredicament