Military-Islamists' relations in the Middle East and North Africa: Confrontations and containment

Scope and findings. This paper discusses military-Islamists relations in MENA with emphasis on military's functions and Islamists' orientations as they affect MENA stability and political development. This research highlights the boundary between Islamists and modern state and society and their relationship with the military. It recommends that Islamists must not threaten the values guarded by the armed forces if they wanted to reach power and form stable governments. It contends that the involvement of the military in political operations to prevent Islamists from reaching power is likely to decrease if Islamists complied with military values.