Raging Against the Machine ― Political Opposition Under Authoritarianism in Egypt

While former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak has fallen from power following the 2011 uprising, the long-running persistence of his authoritarian power and its interactions with equally persistent political opposition is still worthy of study for what it may reveal about the future of Egyptian politics and the presence of authoritarian politics elsewhere, argues Albrecht (political science, American U. in Cairo, Egypt). More interested in the question of change under authoritarianism than change from authoritarianism, he explores the changing role of political opposition during the 30 years of Mubarak's rule. He models the opposition as existing between contestation and complicity and the picture emerges of Egypt as a liberalized authoritarian regime that shifts between coercive control and pluralist opening and an opposition that posed challenges to the regime's political incumbents, policies, and orders while also contributing to the persistence of the political order, with both actors influencing and shaping each other. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Holger Albrecht is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at American University in Cairo.