FROM TAHRİR TO EL-SİSİ: WHY THE EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION FAILED

Year 2024, Issue: 64, 339 - 352, 20.09.2024

Özgür Üşenmez

https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1477109

Abstract

Egyptian revolution, which started with great optimism regarding country’s future, after toppling 30 years long Mubarak regime and experiencing disappointments with first civil administration under Muslim brotherhood government, ended up with the restoration of authoritarianism as a result of a military coup. In this article when delving into the reasons of revolution’s failures, orientalist and elitist theories argued that main issues of failure revolved around the immutable power of the army and political elites over resurrecting masses and lack of general faith in the country regarding the creation of a liberal democratic order. What was missing is, from a Gramscian background, important role that neoliberalism and its destructiveness over social and political life in the last four decades of Egypt, played. In here my basic idea is that after 2011 uprising, revolutionary groups could not settle accounts with neoliberal past and its institutions. Then, on that misconstrued basis, they tried to build a new order. While the Muslim brotherhood government criticized the establishment in terms of religion and cultural values, secular opposition missed the determining role of the army within the economic affairs of the country. Due to these reasons, El-Sisi, seems like an ordinary officer, was able to ensure the restoration of authoritarian rule in Egypt.

Keywords

Egypt, 2011 Revolution, Authoritarianism, El-Sisi, Neoliberalism

TAHRİR’DEN EL-SİSİ’YE: MISIR DEVRİMİ NEDEN BAŞARISIZ OLDU?

Abstract

Mısır Devrimi, Ocak 2011’de büyük umutlarla başlayıp 30 yıllık otoriter Mübarek yönetimini devirmiştir. Sonrasında ise Müslüman Kardeşler idaresi altında ilk sivil yönetim denemesinin hayal kırıklığı ve 2013 Temmuz’da El-Sisi önderliğindeki ordu darbesi ile daha despotik bir rejimle sonuçlanmıştır. Bu makalede, devrimin başarısızlık sebepleri irdelenirken oryantalist ve elitist teoriler, ordunun ve Mısır siyasi elitinin devrimci gruplar karşısında çok güçlü olması ve başkaldıranların liberal demokrasiyi hedeflememeleri gibi eksikliklerden bahsedilmiştir. Gözden kaçan durum ise Gramscici bir teorik arka planla, son kırk yıllık Mısır tarihinin evriminde neo-liberalizmin ve onun yarattığı toplumsal ve siyasi yıkımın devrimin başarısızlığındaki önemli rolüdür. Burada iddia odur ki 2011 sonrası gelişen süreçte devrimci gruplar, Mısır’daki neo-liberal geçmiş ve kurumlarla yeterince hesaplaşamamış ve bu iktisadi, sosyal temel üzerine yeni bir toplum inşa etmeye kalkmışlardır. Müslüman Kardeşler Hükûmeti İslami ve kültürel düzen eleştirisini öne çıkarırken seküler muhaliflerse ordunun iktisadi hayattaki belirleyici rolünü ıskalamışlardır. İşte bu sebeplerle aslında sıradan bir subay sayılabilecek El-Sisi otoriter yönetimin restorasyonunu sağlayabilmiştir.

Keywords

Mısır, 2011 Devrimi, Otoriteryanizm, El-Sisi, Neoliberalizm

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