The Reasons for the Muslim Brotherhood’s Failure in Power

The army ouster manu militari of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) from power in the wake of popular protest seems today to have led to the partial restoration of the former regime networks of influence. While the offensive may give the impression of déjà vu (the parallel with 1954 has been pointed out countless times), it nevertheless has a truly novel aspect in that it brought to a close Egypt’s very first experiment with Islamist governance. The trials and tribulations of this experiment explain to a large degree the success of the mass anti-Muslim Brotherhood protest on June 30, 2013, which subsequently enabled the military to announce President Mohammed Morsi’s removal on July 3. What explains the scale of popular disaffection for the Islamists?