Road to Tahrir Square

When protesters in Egypt began to fill Cairos Tahrir Square on January 25, 2011and refused to leave until their demand that Hosni Mubarak step down was metthe politics of the region changed overnight. And the United States long friendship with the man who had ruled under emergency law for thirty years came starkly into question. The Road to Tahrir Square is the first book to connect past and presentfrom Franklin D. Roosevelts brief meeting with King Farouk near the end of World War II, to Barack Obamas 2009 speech in Cairo, and the recent fall of Mubarakoffering readers an understanding of the events and forces determining American policy in this important region. Making full use of the available records, including the controversial WikiLeaks archive, renowned historian Lloyd C. Gardner shows how the United States has sought to influence Egypt through economic aid, massive military assistance, and CIA manipulationsan effort that has immediate implications for how the current crisis will alter the balance of power in the Middle East. As millions around the world ponder how the Egyptian Revolution will change the face of the region and the world, here is both a fascinating story of past policies and an essential guide to possible futures. When it comes to understanding the tangle of contradictions addling present-day US policy in the Arab world, Lloyd Gardner has become our most astute guide. This compact, timely, and altogether admirable study is his best yet. Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War This book is a clear, concise, and insightful account of Egypts long decline, focusing on both the mistakes of its own leaders and the ignorant meddling of outside powers. Stephen Kinzer, former New York Times correspondent and author of Overthrow: Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq