Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

Guest: Michele Dunn, PhD, Directs the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  During the 2011 Arab Uprising, massive crowds protesting in the streets of Cairo inspired big hopes for democracy in Egypt. The movement did force the ousting of the long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak. But democracy has not taken hold. Rather, Egypt has since undergone a military coup and the vicious resurgence of authoritarianism. At the center of the drama is a group called the Muslim Brotherhood.  Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says the Muslim Brotherhood had a long history as an opposition group Egypt, but only in the days following Mubarak’s ouster did it gain entry into the halls of power. The Brotherhood – which adheres to principles of Islam, but does not advocate the creation of a religious state in Egypt – won hastily-held democratic elections in 2012. A year later, it was overthrown by the military.