Book excerpt: Arshad examines the phenomenon of ‘democratic backsliding’ in post-2011 Egypt. Capturing a critical juncture in Egyptian politics, this book explains the failure of Egypt’s nascent democratic experiment and its relapse into authoritarianism. Egypt is the crucial playbook to understand the reversal of a country towards an authoritarian regime and what measures state and non-state actors should employ to prevent backsliding. The book is an essential model for understanding democratic backsliding through ‘structural and agential’ factors. The former encompasses society, politics, economics, and the military, while the latter deals with the choices and attitudes of the leadership during the political transition. Providing crucial insights into what went wrong during the democratic transition process, this text acts as a guide to curbing the rise of authoritarian regimes in the face of the next potential revolution. The book is a valuable resource for scholars who are interested in democratisation, authoritarian regimes, military leadership, political protests, and political leadership.