In Chapter 2, Egypt enters the Arab Spring with relative strength in national unity and state capacities. However, during the country’s democratic transition, its military took advantage of conflicts between Islamists and secularists in order to stage a coup and reassert its historical dominance of Egypt’s political economy. Both Islamist and secular-oriented political parties were at fault in failing to forge the “twin tolerations” necessary for a political pact or democratic bargain in Egypt. Witnessing the victory of Islamists in transitional elections, secularists turned to the streets and the military to overturn electoral outcomes. For their part, after winning Egypt’s post-Mubarak founding elections, President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood made decisions and appointments that raised questions about their commitment to democracy and their willingness to share power at the most delicate point of a democratic transition, the period that includes constitution writing.