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The Road to Tahrir Square

Egypt and the United States from the Rise of Nasser to the Fall of Mubarak
by Lloyd C. Gardner
The Road to Tahrir Square: Egypt and the United States from the Rise of Nasser to the Fall of Mubarak. New Pr., dist. by Perseus. Oct. 2011. c.240p. index. ISBN 9781595587213. pap. $17.95. INT AFFAIRS
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Gardner (history, Rutgers Univ.; The Long Road to Baghdad) is a well-known authority on the Middle East. His narrative here portrays Egypt as an essential actor in the region over the past 70 years, taking leading roles at the end of the British Mandate in Palestine and creation of Israel, as well as in several regional conflicts. While the United States was trying to define a new international role for itself at the end of World War II and into the Cold War, it was juggling the existing tensions and rivalries around Egypt. Successive U.S. administrations plied successive Egyptian rulers with both economic and military assistance, trying to develop a stable ally. The recently deposed leader Hosni Mubarak provided that stability for 30 years.
VERDICT Gardner's coverage is more in-depth for the earlier years of his focus, i.e., under President Nasser, and, in spite of the title's implication, lighter for the past 15 years, but many titles on U.S.-Egypt relations cover relatively shorter periods (even William J. Burns's Economic Aid and American Policy Toward Egypt, 1955–1981, which is considered relatively comprehensive). Informed readers will find this useful background to current headlines on a topic likely to persist well into the future.
Reviewed by Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New York , Sep 01, 2011
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