Counterrevolution in Egypt

The agents of coercion in Egypt – its military, police, and intelligence services – have been locked in a perennial struggle for power since their inception. Each institution has vied for dominance, shaping and reshaping the country’s political landscape. Yet, the seismic upheaval of the 2011 revolution forced these factions to put aside their differences and forge an alliance in the face of an existential threat: the revolutionary aspirations of the Egyptian people. Hossam el-Hamalawy – a journalist and leading activist with personal experience at the sharp end of Egyptian repression – delves deep into the inner workings of the security apparatus. Counterrevolution in Egypt is a rare and comprehensive examination of the structures, hierarchies, and methods of the military, police, and intelligence agencies. Drawing on meticulous research, it reveals the strategies deployed to suppress the revolutionary wave, from propaganda and surveillance to mass arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings. El-Hamalawy traces the power dynamics within these institutions to show how their uneasy unity was both a response to the revolution and a determinant of its eventual fate.

Hossam el-Hamalawy is a journalist and socialist from Cairo, who was among the organisers of the 2011 uprising. He has been involved in the labour movement and the fight against police brutality in Egypt. He holds a PhD in political science from Freie Universität Berlin and is the recipient of the 2011 Anna Politkovskaya Courage in Journalism Award. He publishes a weekly newsletter on Egyptian politics at 3arabawy.substack.com

INTRODUCTION Moving Forward Notes on Writing Style CHAPTER 1: A Fragmented Apparatus Coup-Proofing Mubarak’s Anxieties Militarized Policing Road to War Dirty War Habib al-Adly Forever Wars - 1. Social Control and Police Militarization in the Neoliberal Age - 2. Enforcing Raison d'Être The General Intelligence Service - External Operations - Domestic Operations - Business Empire Compartmentalization CHAPTER 2: Revolution The Myth of Army Grievances Military-Economic Complex? - Geopolitical Alliance? - Political Constraints? - Social Context? Ruling But Not Governing Military Intelligence Structure - Ever-Expanding Military Camp - Counterbalancing Compartmentalization Road to Revolt - From the Regional to the Local - Strike Wave and the Police Uprising - Police Day - The Friday of Rage - Army Deployment CHAPTER 3: Counterrevolution Shaky Alliances I - Power Greed? - Islamist Radicals? - Vacillation? Shaky Alliances II - Legal and Constitutional Challenges? - Sinai Insurgency? - Geopolitical Blunders? Boots on the Streets Streamlining the Police - SCAF and the MOI - Morsi and the MOI Suleiman’s Men Egyptian Brumaire - Police - Military - General Intelligence Service Rivers of Blood CHAPTER 4: The State Über Alles A Unitary Apparatus State Violence and Regime-Making Praetorian Direct Rule - The Generals - Regulations - Military Capitalism - Military Ideology Counterinsurgency - Troubled Past - Pre-January 2011 - Post-July 2013 Streamlining the General Intelligence Service - Tuhami - Fawzi - Kamel and the Sisis - Rashad Return of the Police - Homeland Security - Killing Fields - Prison System CHAPTER 5: A Perfect Military Camp State Bureaucracy Courts Diplomatic Service Media Industry Entertainment Sports Cultural Spaces Schools and Universities - Militarization - Falcon Group Religion and Morals - Ministry of Awqaf - Al-Azhar - Religious Minorities - Gender Panopticon 2.0 - Post-Apocalyptic Cyberpunk Fortress Cities - Policing the Cyberspace EPILOGUE Appendix I Appendix II Appendix III Appendix IV Appendix V Appendix VI Appendix VII Appendix VIII