Algeria's Islamist Revival
An unusual article on Algerian politics and society via Carnegie:http://carnegie-mec.org/2015/06/26/s...-is-clear/ib67
It ends with:
Quote:
Twenty-three years after the bloodiest chapter in contemporary Algeria, with 150,000 dead and 7,000 missing, victims of a war between the state and armed Islamist groups during which a whole society was held hostage, things do not appear to be very optimistic: here we are again in the same place caught between a patriarchal state and an Islamist revival.
Deciphering Algeria: the stirrings of reform?
A rare report on Algeria in English, by Andrew Lebovich and a key point:
Quote:
It challenges the widely held perception of Algeria as stable but stagnant, pointing out that the country has gradually begun to open up.
Link:http://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summ..._of_reform5047
One must wonder if all the calculations remain valid as the price of oil drops.
Algeria’s transition to uncertainty
A political-economic overview of Algeria, with some social aspects too and the sub-title:
Quote:
Algeria is facing succession scrambles and economic crisis. Why are the country’s leaders handing the country over to the IMF rather than use its political and economic talent?
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-a...to-uncertainty
Jihadist "crimes that surpass all understanding": a letter from 1995 Algeria
It is rare to find an Algerian writing about what happened in Algeria IMHO. This 1995 letter addressed to the jihadists resonates today. The introduction:
Quote:
In this letter written during Algeria’s “dark decade” of fundamentalist violence - sadly relevant today - Mahfoud Bennoune argued that movements purveying “Islamic states” through terror are ultimately “doomed to failure.”
(At the end and we wish)Your movement, which has mistaken the era, the people and the target, is the negation of reason and democracy, of common sense and of Islamic, humanist and universal values. This is the reason why it can never be the bearer of peace, progress, prosperity, culture, civilization or of understanding and cooperation between peoples. Your movement is doomed to failure.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/mahfoud-bennoune/jihadist-crimes-that-surpass-all-understanding-letter-from-1995-algeria?
Will the Next Arab Revolt Be in Algeria?
From the think tank FDD a short update; sub-titled:
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Religion, economics, and demographics are potentially explosive mix
It ends with:
Quote:
Dire warnings have been issued about a pending implosion in Algeria and a flood of migrants to Europe. At least one prominent Algerian expert views this prediction as off the mark. Nonetheless, the dangerous mix of radical Islamism, economic instability, and growing youth unrest could be the recipe for a new Arab revolt in North Africa.
Link:https://medium.com/@FDD/will-the-nex...7b4#.ko816okax
Algeria's Strategy to Overcome Regional Terrorism
A short article in 'The National Interest' which appears to be based upon interaction with Algeria's Ambassador in Washington DC. The sub-title:
Quote:
Algeria is vulnerable to extremism, but its successful counterterrorism efforts may provide lessons for its neighbors in North Africa and the Middle East.
Link:https://nationalinterest.org/feature...errorism-45742
It must be a different Algeria to one Forum readers are familiar with; as this sentence indicates:
Quote:
Algeria’s counterterrorism strategy is centered on preventative measures and deradicalization.
Judge for yourself.
Is this an Algerian Spring?
After several weeks of small protests at the decision of the President, in office since 1999 and not seen in public for 2014 to stand again, then announce his exit, but cancelling elections. Now the protests have become far larger. Plus interest groups have stood aside, e.g. the judges who supervise elections. There was footage of police cheering at the weekend.
This report ends with:
Quote:
(President) Bouteflika helped to defeat a civil war against Islamist insurgents in which tens of thousands of people were killed in the 1990s, and many Algerians long accepted heavy-handed rule as the price of stability. But the public has lost patience with deteriorating economic conditions and the FLN’s failure to make the transition to a new generation despite the president’s failing health.
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...eflik-movement
We can only hope the Spring will bring a peaceful change, as we know from Syria protestors carrying the national flag died.
AQIM Pleads for Relevance in Algeria
Former fighters have been warning people not to rock the boat
An odd story, but in Northern Ireland a few ex-PIRA have advised against recourse to violence. Given the far higher level of violence in Algeria, with 200k dead, it is noteworthy. Here is one quote:
Quote:
I deeply regret what happened in the 1990s This is why I will never participate in any action that might end up violent.
Link:https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKCN1TI0DR