A Revolution Undone

H.A. Hellyer has written a deeply knowledgeable and deeply personal set of reflections on the Egyptian revolution and its grim aftermath. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with a sense of the spirit that drove the young people of Tahrir Square in the early days of 2011, and which drives many Egyptians still. Many books have been written with the words "Egypt" and "Revolution" in their titles, but this is the only one worth reading.

H.A. Hellyer’s A Revolution Undone represents the most authoritative, thoughtful, and nuanced account to date of Egypt’s 2011 revolution and its aftermath. The book is replete with the kind of unique insight that emerges only from direct proximity to the events it describes. Hellyer’s is a voice of studious integrity, allowing A Revolution Undone to achieve the near impossible when it comes to analyzing Egyptian politics today: balance and perspective. I can think of no other observer of the country who has managed to remain in the heart of the fray while avoiding being captured by it. A bold, defining, and–ultimately–hopeful statement on the Arab Spring that should be read by anyone interested in the future of the Middle East.

Egyptians made their own history in 2011 with a revolution that inspired the world. But its story since those momentous 18 days has been both complex and controversial, defying tidy definition. H.A. Hellyer is eminently qualified to inform, and interpret these punishing years, which have polarised Egypt and left many searching for certainties. An Egyptian and an Englishman, he brings both depth and distance. There’s also an academic’s rigour, a pollster’s precision, and a journalist’s compelling anecdotes in his chronicle of Egypt’s “unfinished revolution.” Committed to the principles of that peaceful protest, he doesn’t shirk from holding everyone to account: from the revolutionaries who failed to follow through; the Muslim Brotherhood which fell from grace and power; and a military which played a pivotal role throughout. “History shows that there are some things that endure far beyond one generation,” he writes. Egypt’s story is still being written. But five years on, this book puts down an important marker.

Throughout the tumultuous events of the 2011-2015 years in Egypt, H.A. Hellyer has been a lucid but hardly dispassionate analyst. Now, he has written a book presenting that period that draws on the same assets as his contemporaneous analyses: he writes from the heart but without losing a touch of his clear-headed thinking. Those who remember only a confused tumble of events will find a sure guide, but even those who recall these events well will learn from his book.

It is hard to imagine a better qualified analyst of recent Egyptian history than H.A. Hellyer: a British political scientist of Egyptian heritage, conversant in the modern history of Islamic thought, equipped with the most credible public opinion polling, well-connected with a broad circle of activists and diplomats, and a Cairo resident who personally lived through the upheavals of both 2011 and 2013. Hellyer started out cautious about the first protests in 2011 but he came to identify what he calls Egypt’s revolutionary current as its best hope, and his honest and probing account of those events will be a great resource for future students of that history.

Inside Egypt’s Unfinished Revolution combines in the most revealing of ways both the author’s participatory observations during the last turbulent years in Egypt & his analytical skills in tackling questions of politics, religion, & human rights conditions. This is a fact based narrative of what has gone wrong in Egypt after the January 2011 revolution & a persuasive analysis of the structural realities hindering democratic governance in this most populous country in the Middle East.

To see Egypt through H.A. Hellyer’s eyes is to observe with rare immediacy the turmoil, excitement, lost hopes, and ultimate uncertainty since the heady days of protest in 2011. Engagé but never one-sided, affecting but also clear-headed, he powerfully demonstrates how an Islamist right and authoritarian military have each tried to highjack the post-Mubarak order. That this will be a successful revolution in the long term depends, in this eloquent and unflinching analysis, on whether the precipitating search for dignity is not betrayed.

At a time when many have already written off the Arab world’s ability to transition to pluralistic societies, "A Revolution Undone" presents a more nuanced analysis about the region that offers balance, empathy, and above all, hope. Written by a pre-eminent scholar and analyst deeply embedded in the region, this book is a must read for anyone seeking deep insights into the Egyptian uprising, its aftermath, and its possible trajectory

Hellyer combines an engaging personal memoir with insightful and balanced analyses to present a clear portrayal of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt. His account departs from the all-too-common treatment of the major elements – like the Muslim Brotherhood, the original revolutionaries, and the military – as monolithic, and instead, provides an understanding of the complex mosaic of Arab Spring politics in Egypt. An important part of the strength of Hellyer’s analysis is his coverage of the evolution of the way observers, including himself, viewed the changing political scene. As he shows, these observers played important roles in constructing the various narratives of the revolution. In the growing library of books on the Arab Spring, Hellyer provides a refreshingly intimate perspective that will be of use to all interested in 21st century political developments.

In recent years, attempting to follow the extraordinary tumult in Egypt has often felt like wading through a dense fog: moments of hope, moments of despair, & endless political twists and turns are all mixed up inside one another, and it is hard to make out the beginning or the end. It takes an assured and skilful navigator to plot a constructive path through the gloom and shine a light where it is needed most. Hellyer is just such a navigator: thoughtful, perceptive & above all committed to the promise of revolution, even as he spells out with intellectual honesty & historical nuance where those fighting for a more democratic Egypt have gone wrong. His analysis is an antidote to lazy stereotypes & reductive binaries, & today it is more important than ever.

Part personal narrative, part contemporary history, H.A. Hellyer’s A Revolution Undone provides a brilliant, gripping account of Egypt’s 2011 revolution and its aftermath. Told by the author in the first person, from the unique perspective of someone who lived through and bore witness to these historic events that continue to reshape the modern Middle East, the book is most notable for its analytical and moral clarity. Ultimately, the author’s conclusion from this sober tale is an uplifting one: the young revolutionaries who flooded Tahrir Square may have failed to change the political order in Egypt, but the idea of the revolution continues to inspire and have resonance in that country and far beyond.

H.A. Hellyer has written an inimitable book. Specialists and general readers alike will benefit hugely from the accounts exquisitely related by an insider and a fair observer in one. Hellyer’s organic link to Egypt and consciously impartial perspective produce a unique combination that we should appreciate, as many of the books published on the subject tend to lean towards one view or one side. His writings have long made clear his consistent and balanced insight – and in this book, Hellyer lets no one off the hook, calling all to account.

Nuanced and refreshing … Hellyer’s book is worth reading to see how individuals can be transformed in a revolutionary situation.