Into the Hands of the Soldiers: Freedom and Chaos in Egypt and the Middle East

- Blurb -

A poignant, deeply human portrait of Egypt during the Arab Spring, told through the lives of individualsIn 2011, Egyptians of all sects, ages and social classes shook off millennia of autocracy, then elected a Muslim Brother as president. The 2013 military coup replaced him with a new strongman, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has cracked down on any dissent or opposition with a degree of ferocity Mubarak never dared. New York Times correspondent David D. Kirkpatrick arrived in Egypt with his family less than six months before the uprising first broke out in 2011. As revolution and violence engulfed the country, he received an unexpected and immersive education in the Arab world. In this candid narrative, Kirkpatrick lives through Cairo's hopeful days and crushing disappointments alongside the diverse population of his new city: the liberal yuppies who first gathered in Tahrir Square; the persecuted Coptic Christians standing guard around Muslims at prayer during the protests; and the women of a grassroots feminism movement that tried to seize its moment. Juxtaposing his on-the-ground experience in Cairo with new reporting about conflicts over Egypt in Washington and London, Kirkpatrick traces how authoritarianism was allowed to reclaim Egypt after thirty months of turmoil. Into the Hands of the Soldiers is a heartbreaking story with a simple message: the failings of decades of autocratic rule are the reason for the chaos we see today across the Arab world. Understanding the story of what happened in those years can help readers make sense of everything taking place across the region today - from the terrorist attacks in North Sinai to the bedlam in Syria and Libya.