The History of Egypt

Typical of the Greenwood series on "modern nations," this work begins with a chapter on current conditions, followed by the country's known history. In the case of Egypt, it takes the reader back to the fourth millennium B.C. and beyond. With a timeline of significant events, an epilogue, a listing of important people, a glossary, and a lengthy bibliographic essay, only 144 pages of text remain on Egypt, written by Glenn Perry, a political scientist.

While this reviewer lacks the expertise to critique the specific content of the chapter on ancient Egypt, it appears to be, like the subsequent chapter on the classical period through the French invasion, a flurry of leaders, dynasties, and invasions without a theoretical engine to drive the narrative. Most of the significant information on pre-Islamic Egypt would have been better placed within the section on the Islamic period or in explanatory footnotes. The specialist will find these chapters mundane, while the novice will be thoroughly confused by statements such as: "Although some overlords undoubtedly were arbitrary or oppressive, this did not belie the usage rights of the peasantry to miri land. Much the same is true of another pattern that prevailed in Egypt during the Ottoman period (unlike the iqta in other parts of the empire), whereby land was allotted as 'tax farms' (iltizam, literally 'concession')" (42).

Perry displays his knowledge of more recent historiography but refuses to support, refute, or critique the various positions. For example, true to the modernization paradigm, he relates that Egypt "awoke" to new realities after the French invasion, which he claims was precipitated by France's desire for a "road to India" (56). But then he states, "Some argue that the motive was to gain commercial advantage in Egypt itself, where the British and the French already were competing for trade" (56), without examing the topic further or resolving the disagreement. His view of Muhammad Ali and his successors is rather static, as is his explanation of nineteenth-century events. His discussion of the conquest and uprisings within the Sudan, as well as Egypt's role in slavery (and abolition) would have been enhanced by the work of Eve Troutt Powell (A Different Shade of Colonialism [2003]), and his treatment of the royal family, by the memoirs of Abbas Hilmi II and Prince Hassan Hassan.

The chapter titled "Liberal Egypt" is one of the better chapters in the book. Although many of the topics could have used a bit more clarification, Perry skillfully covers the 1919 Revolution, the creation of a new political order, the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, Egypt's struggle to industrialize, the rise of extremists on the right and left, World War II, and the role of the Palestinian struggle in bringing Egypt into the pan-Arab fold. The chapter ends on a confusing note as he describes the events of 1952, including the rotation of the post of prime minister from Nahhas to Mahir to Hilali to Sirri and back to Hilali again, without an introduction to any of the men except for Nahhas. A reference to or reproduction of political cartoons from popular magazines of the era (e.g., Ruz al-Yusif or al-Ithnayn wal-Dunya) would have helped to convey meaning to the reader.

Given Perry's expertise and the series' focus on recent events, I anticipated increasing quality with each chapter. Nevertheless, I found the chapter on the Nasser era extremely disappointing. Perry lacks an understanding of the delicate nature of Egyptian–American relations in the 1950s. He would do well to read Jon Alterman's Egypt and American Foreign Assistance (2002) or any of the more recent works on the Eisenhower Doctrine and its application (and nonapplication) in the Middle East. While he cautions the reader to take Copeland's Game of Nations (1969) "with a grain of salt," Perry would do well to read Wilbur Eveland's Ropes of Sand (1980), whichsupports many of Copeland's claims and makes sense out of the struggle for Syria. Perry's explanation of the Suez Pact overlooks the U.S. role, and he does not offer much in the way of an explanation for the United States' 180-degree turn on the issue of funding for the Aswan Dam after the Czech arms deal, its retraction within six months, or the U.S. policy of propping up the Saudi monarchy as a counterbalance to Nasser. Perry merely explains the latter as Saudi Arabia's putting "aside its old feud with the Hashemites" to oppose Nasser (98). The most egregious error of the chapter is the 1967 date given for the Syrian–Egyptian union. Even if one suspects a gross typographical error—meaning that the date should have been 1957—such discussions began as early as 1954–55; they increased in importance in 1957, culminating in the creation of the UAR in February of 1958.

The date error is one example of the inconsistencies and mistakes that appear throughout the work; others include multiple spellings for vizir (vezier, vizier) and Turco-Circassian (Turko-Circassion). While even the most carefully written and edited works will contain small errors, large ones appear throughout, sometimes evidencing a lack of basic understanding of Arabic. In his "notable people" section, Perry refers to Tahtawi as originating from the delta city of Tanta, rather than the upper Egyptian city of Tahta, as obviously demonstrated by his name. While the author explains that space did not permit a detailed inclusion of all of his sources and that he aimed to list only those that would be of interest to the general reader, one gets the impression that he did not look at many Arabic sources.

Another flagrant omission is any discussion of the Egyptian people and their views. While his chapters on Sadat and Mubarak are an improvement over what precedes, they too demonstrate a neglect of popular sentiment and culture. In discussing "Egypt's isolation from the Arab world" after Camp David, Perry states that Sadat's "peace with Israel would remain popular at home" (119). Without denying support from certain sectors of the population, one could hardly refer to the decision as "popular at home."

The final two chapters would have been much stronger if the earlier chapters on the ancient and Islamic eras had been omitted or abridged. It is these chapters that potentially could have separated this work from its competitors. While Perry mentions significant occurrences—for example, sectarian violence, Islamic extremism, the arrest of dozens of gay men in 2002, and the cases against Nasr Abu Zayd and Nawal el-Saadawi—he fails to provide enough information about them. Futhermore, he sees these events as part of the government's effort to beef up its Islamic credentials rather than as an attempt to deflect criticism for its support of the United States in the wake of the second Palestinian intifada and the post-9/11 war on terror. Two glaring omissions are any discussion of the lurid photographs and scandalous story regarding a former Coptic priest published in al-Nabaa and the wildly popular career of Shaaban Abd al-Rahim with songs such as "I Hate Israel," "America, Oh America," and "Hitting Iraq." In his epilogue, however, Perry does cite a 2003 poll that indicates that 94 percent of Egyptians have an unfavorable view of the United States (147). Such bold statements to nonspecialists lead to the perception that "they all hate us." But a look at a number of polls—for instance the Zogby polls of 2002 and 2004 of several Arab countries (including Egypt)—would indicate that there are key aspects of American life and values that Egyptians view positively. Nevertheless, U.S. foreign policy, particularly its support of Israel and the Bush war on terror, has raised negative opinions of the U.S. in Egypt 20 percent in two years.

Perry's most likely target audience is "would be" travelers seeking to understand Egypt's history from its earliest times to the present, although James Jankowski's recent text (Egypt: A Short History [2000]) will provide significant competition. Specialists will be hesitant to assign the work to either graduate students or undergraduates, given its superficial and often confusing coverage of historiography. Those looking for a more detailed look at modern Egypt are likely to choose the revised text by P. J. P. Vatikiotis (The History of Modern Egypt [1991]), while those seeking a briefer treatment might prefer Seyyid Marsot's A Short History of Modern Egypt (1985) or Arthur Goldschmidt's Modern Egypt (rev. ed. 2004).