While comparisons and arguments for why the Turkish Model is relevant to burgeoning MENA countries now undergoing transition abound, the infeasibilities of “selling” this model have been less explored. This article makes the argument that positing Turkey’s successes in the last decades as a “model” for transitioning MENA countries is counter-productive. The author examines this concept primarily through the lens of Turkey Egypt relations. The first section discusses the feasibility of the Turkish model from the perspective of Egyptians themselves; the second section discusses the ideological challenges and discrepancies between the AKP and Egypt’s eclectic hues of Islamists, including some revealing gender constituency challenges for Egypt’s two largest Islamist political parties. Finally, the author offers some policy recommendations to the proponents of the Turkish model in engaging a transitioning Egypt...