The relentless rise of the Muslim Brotherhood has secured them a leading role in_x000D_the unsettled and uncertain landscapes of Egypt, a country shaken by revolution_x000D_and revolt. A decisive victory in the first post-Mubarak elections cemented their_x000D_standing, but how have they reached this position of dominance? Mohammed_x000D_Zahid's analysis of the Brothers' conflict-filled history and steadily expanding presence_x000D_throughout Egyptian society lays the groundwork for their current standing, and sheds_x000D_light on the complex currents of Islamist politics and authoritarian rule that have coloured_x000D_Egypt and the rest of the Arab world._x000D__x000D_Zahid delves into the tangle of Egyptian politics and jostling for power in recent years,_x000D_that took place amid increasing pressure for reform and mounting socio-economic_x000D_crisis, to unpick the fractured processes of liberalisation and the troubled relationship_x000D_between the Muslim Brotherhood and the state. By charting the shifting sands of political_x000D_and economic change from Nasser to Mubarak, Zahid illustrates the way in which the_x000D_Brothers, despite being banned, managed to gain a foothold both and in and out of the_x000D_political system, and to confront state power.