The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist

Spring, then fall: a weakened Muslim Brotherhood

August 11, 2026

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5 min read

Spring, then fall: a weakened Muslim Brotherhood

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, one organization seemed to have seized its moment. The Muslim Brotherhood—the world's oldest Islamist movement—had members instrumental in the uprisings across Syria, Libya, and Yemen. Its affiliates won numerous parliamentary seats in Tunisia. And in Egypt, its candidate became the country's first democratically elected president. That was barely 15 years ago. Today, the picture is dramatically different. As The Economist's Middle East correspondent Gareth Brown puts it, "If you look across the region from Egypt to Tunisia, Syria to Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood is probably weaker and more divided than it's ever been."

The movement's foundations and rise

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What you'll learn

  • 1 Spring, then fall: a weakened Muslim Brotherhood
  • 2 (01:17) **The Muslim Brotherhood's rise and decline** - How the world's oldest Islamist organization went from Arab Spring triumph to its weakest state in decades
  • 3 (02:41) **Who the Muslim Brotherhood are** - The movement's origins as a political-social force rooted in Islamic values
  • 4 (03:51) **Why the Brotherhood is now weak** - The autocratic backlash and internal collapse
  • 5 (04:52) **Why governments find the Brotherhood threatening** - The perception of subversiveness and distrust
  • 6 (06:14) **The Brotherhood's strange absence in Syria** - Why the group was missing from the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024
  • 7 (06:40) **How the Brotherhood has responded** - Internal bickering and lack of coherent leadership

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

The Muslim Brotherhood won power and influence in the Arab Spring of 2011. Now autocrats are resurgent and its leaders are in jail or exile. Elon Musk says Europe is more dangerous than America. Is he right? And the puzzling popularity of padel.


Guests and host:

  • Gareth Browne, Middle East correspondent
  • James Fransham, data journalist
  • Hamish Clayton, Britain writer
  • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”


Topics covered: 

  • Muslim Brotherhood, Islamism, Arab Spring
  • Elon Musk,  Insider, Europe, crime, 
  • Padel, tennis, racket sports


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