FEAR, LOVE, OR INDIFFERENCE: USING MILITARY INSTITUTIONALIZATION TO EXPLAIN EGYPT’S ENDURING AUTOCRACY

Abstract

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in 2010 and spread across the region to varying results. The protests called for the ousting of dictators, regime change and an end to authoritarianism. Since these protests began, only Tunisia has seen a transition to democracy, with Egypt’s democratic experiment ending with a return to military authoritarianism, and Syria’s uprising transitioning instead to civil war. The case of Egypt is particularly striking as the military have held power since the counterrevolution in 2013 with little opposition and none that resemble the extent of the Arab Spring. Unlike Syria, Egypt’s military is structurally distinct from the civilian government. Over Egypt’s modern history it has developed into a semi- autonomous, neutral body that claims to behave in the defense of the Nation. Elaborating on this rhetoric, it has been able to garner the trust of the Egyptian population through its seemingly apolitical institutionalization.