Samuel Tadros’ Egypt’s Elections: Why the Islamists Won

Many were surprised that Islamists came to power in Egypt after the uprisings last year. After all, the revolution was more or less billed in the U.S. media as the coming-of-age story of a new generation of plugged-in youth. In fairy tales like these, pragmatism and Western-style liberalism will always triumph (of course). So, what gives?

In his new piece Egypt’s Elections: Why the Islamists Won, Democracy & Governance alum Samuel Tadros debunks the many theories that have cropped up by Western observers and Egyptian non-Islamists alike. Gulf financing to Islamists to blame? Widespread election fraud? What about the oft-repeated arguments about the short timetable and multi-party system–didn’t they hurt everyone except for the well-established Muslim Brotherhood? No, no, and (surprisingly) no.

Tadros’ article, which appears in the March/April 2012 issue of World Affairs, takes a refreshing look at the generally obfuscated inner-workings of the new Egyptian electoral system. You can access the full subscription-only version through the World Affairs website.