The role of the military in Turkish and Egyptian politics :|A comparative analysis

Abstract

The aim of this thesis has been to make a comparative analysis of military involvement in politics in Turkey and Egypt. This involvement has been studied in the context of modem-republican periods of both countries. After a literature review on the relation between military and politics, necessary historical information concerning the political experiences of both countries has been provided. After laying out a concrete background about military involvement in politics in those countries, a comparative analysis has been realised with the aim of showing similarities and differences between the political histories of both countries. My thesis is that the simple presence of the military in a political body cannot be accounted for its being exclusively autocratic; it seems that there can always be a subtle interplay of forces between the military establishment and the political arena. Beyond the specific cases of Turkey and Egypt, it is hoped that this analysis presents a pattern of nation-building and political modernisation in countries characterised by belated modernisation.