When protesters in Egypt began to fill Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 25th—and refused to leave until their demand that Hosni Mubarak step down was met—the 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. From Franklin D. Roosevelt's brief meeting with King Farouk near the end of World War II to Barack Obama's Cairo Speech in 2009 and the recent fall of Mubarak—the most significant turning point in American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War—this timely new book answers the urgent question of why Egypt has mattered so much to the United States. The Road to Tahrir Square is the first book to connect past and present, offering readers today an understanding of the events and forces determining American policy in this vitally 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 manipulations, an effort that has immediate implications for how the current crisis will alter the balance of power in the Middle East. As millions of Americans 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.

The ten Egyptian plays in this collection offer grassroots perspectives on the jubilation, terror, hope and heartbreak of mass uprising. Collectively, they sketch events unfolding in Egypt from the twilight of Hosni Mubarak's regime to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's ascendance to the presidency. A comprehensive introduction situates the plays within their social, political, and economic context, an in-depth translator's note delves into the challenges of translating Arabic for English-speaking audiences. Yasmeen Emam Shghaf's The Mirror and Hany Abdel Naser and Mohamed Mu'iz's They Say Dancing is a Sin explore how stigma and poverty silence women's voices. Sondos Shabayek and the BuSSy Company's documentary storytelling piece Tahrir Monologues and Said Solaiman's drama with movement The Window consider how collective mobilization empowers individuals to overcome personal fears. Ibrahim El-Husseini's symbolic ensemble drama Comedy of Sorrows and Ahmed Hassan Albana's melodrama In Search of Said Abu-Naga warn of the powerful forces waiting to hijack the revolution. Magdy El Hamzawy's satirical tragedy Report on Revolutionary Circumstances and Muhammed Marros's naturalistic three-hander The Visit reflect on how and why the revolutionary forces failed to dislodge the entrenched power structures. Ashraf Abdu's Coptic Church drama Sorrowful City foretells of a post-revolutionary deterioration into sectarian violence, and a stage adaptation of Khaled Al Khamissi's novel Taxi asks what has changed, if anything, for poor and working Egyptians in the years since Mubarak's overthrow.

"This is a Borzoi book published by Alfred A. Knopf"--Title page verso.

Six Egyptian photographers followed and documented the events of the 25 January Revolution in different parts of Cairo, and converged on the focal point of the revolution, Tahrir Square. They photographed many events around the city and in the square, from the early battles of the protesters against heavily armed security forces, through the attacks by paid thugs on camel and horseback, and the peaceful occupation of Tahrir Square, to the victory celebrations and the inspiring clean-up afterward.

A definitive, absorbing account of the Egyptian revolution, written by a Cairo-based Egyptian-American reporter for Foreign Policy and The Times (London), who witnessed firsthand Mubarak's demise and the country's efforts to build a democracy In early 2011, the world's attention was riveted on Cairo, where after three decades of supremacy, Hosni Mubarak was driven from power. It was a revolution as swift as it was explosive. For eighteen days, anger, defiance, and resurgent national pride reigned in the streets---protestors of all ages struck back against police and state security, united toward the common goal of liberation. But the revolution was more than a spontaneous uprising. It was the end result of years of mounting tension, brought on by a state that shamelessly abused its authority, rigging elections, silencing opposition, and violently attacking its citizens. When revolution bloomed in the region in January 2011, Egypt was a country whose patience had expired---with a people suddenly primed for liberation. As a journalist based in Cairo, Ashraf Khalil was an eyewitness to the perfect storm that brought down Mubarak and his regime. Khalil was subjected to tear gas alongside protestors in Tahrir Square, barely escaped an enraged mob, and witnessed the day-to-day developments from the frontlines. From the halls of power to the back alleys of Cairo, he offers a one-of-a-kind look at a nation in the throes of an uprising. Liberation Square is a revealing and dramatic look at the revolution that transformed the modern history of one of the world's oldest civilizations.

Egypt's democratic experiment has been derailed, but will her people remain committed to progressive change, and at what cost? Hellyer's first-hand knowledge of the country suggests the price will be high