Egypt and the illusory Arab Spring - Dr. Wafik Moustafa

This hugely authoritative commentary on Egyptian affairs is a must have for anyone who wants to get the real picture. Egypt?The Elusive Arab Spring casts a confident eye back over a span of some two hundred years of modern Egypt's history and brings the reader right up to the essential issues underpinning what is happening in Egypt today.

As an Egyptian national, Dr. Wafik Moustafa's account offers us far more than the standard fare of international commentariat. Here you have a genuine front row seat on the famous "Arab Street," with surprising insights into the idiosyncratic world presented by Egypt's press and social media.

Directly, with the candor of a well-informed old friend, Dr. Moustafa shares powerful insights into how this lynchpin of the Arab world reached the crossroads it finds itself at today. It is a balanced and generally impartial account. To quote Michael Binyon, the distinguished Times columnist who introduces this book: "His account is bracing, sharp and, to many, controversial. He says things that many Arab politicians and opinion-makers would rather not hear said.

"Dr. Moustafa tells us a lot about the forces that have shaped Egypt today. And his widespread contacts with the leading figures in the country's social, intellectual and political life give him a clear-sighted vantage point to warn his countrymen . . . that, unless they are very careful and learn the lessons of recent history, many of their hopes may turn out, yet again, to be disappointments."

Wafik Moustafa, MD, is an avid historian and lobbyist. He is chairman of the Conservative Arab Network in London, England, and regularly leads parliamentary delegations to his native Egypt.

Michael Binyon, who introduces the book, is a journalist and a senior writer for the Times of London.