Wedded to Mubarak: The Second Careers and Financial Rewards of Egypt’s Military Elite, 1981–2011

This article discusses postretirement appointments and financial rewards the Egyptian military elite secured under former Egyptian president Husni Mubarak. It draws on two original databases: the first analyzes the professional background of the 156 Egyptian governors appointed by Mubarak, and studies the evolution of the military elite’s share of governorship positions throughout his years in power. The second database includes details on postretirement careers of Egypt’s top 65 officers who led the main corps of the armed forces under Mubarak. It analyzes mechanisms used by Mubarak’s predecessors to secure the loyalty of the military elite, and shows that increasing the privileges of the top brass remained a stable feature of control systems that were otherwise fundamentally different. It discusses how Mubarak wedded senior officers to his regime throughout his three decades in power by enhancing their material privileges and allowing them to profit from their postretirement positions, unhindered by monitoring agencies.