Algeria Again? Contemporary affairs

[davidbfpo]

An intriguing report:

The ministry says Atmane Touati — alias Abu El Abbas — gave up after his wife "convinced her husband to abandon the criminal horde and come home."

Link:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100531/...amic_militants

[davidbfpo]

A country that rarely allows unrestricted media access and rarely given attention, so good to see this analysis. Opens with, slightly edited:

The Algerian government is working to prevent North Africa's revolutionary tide from reaching its shores.

For months now, Algerian authorities have been busy pre-empting a potential threat of revolution. The success of popular movements in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt sent alarming signals to government circles that Algeria was next in line to experience revolutionary change.

The effect has been so strong that local governments in the eastern part of Algeria have instructed police to relax street regulations, including allowing motorists to drive without a proper vehicle tax document.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14167481

[davidbfpo]

A rare news article on Algeria, undoubtedly due to an invitation to the foreign press to report on this Thursday's elections:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...es-arab-spring

Alongside a comment piece:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...t-expectations

Someone clearly believes in saving, saving and saving - with my emphasis:

At present, Algeria has a staggering bank reserve of $200bn from oil and gas revenues – though the people are not benefiting from this. According to a recent report of the International Monetary Fund, youth unemployment in Algeria stands at 21% (two-thirds of the population is under the age of 35).

[davidbfpo]

Algeria wrested independence from France in 1962 after a bitter and extremely violent eight-year struggle. The legacy has continued to shadow its efforts to create a workable model of development and a humane life for its citizens. Francis Ghils invokes a wealth of memory from his years reporting Algeria - in particular, a pivotal few months in 1991 - to reflect on a compelling country's troubled half-century.

Fascinating insight:http://www.opendemocracy.net/francis...gerian-odyssey

I always puzzled at how a revolution turns in on itself and after 1991 Algerians truly terrified each other.

[davidbfpo]

Algeria despite its size, oil & gas resources, position and history rarely gets English language coverage, it is so refreshing to see this Time article; it starts wth:

One wet, chilly February morning, Ali Zaoui climbed into his car in Algeria’s capital, drove 300 miles south into the desert, and knocked on the door of a three-bedroom house in the oasis city of Ghardaïa. Zaoui was well known to the occupants. They were the parents of the then most wanted man in North Africa, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed Islamist commander who had masterminded the hostage siege in January at a natural-gas plant in his native Algeria. The attack resulted in the deaths of 38 foreigners, including managers and specialists of Western oil companies. It was Algeria’s worst terrorist attack in years, and the worst ever for the global oil industry, anywhere. Zaoui, a veteran anti-terror fighter for Algeria’s security services, had spent years coaxing armed militants to surrender under an amnesty program and had come to know Belmokhtar’s parents well over five years of trying to persuade one of Algeria’s most fearsome jihadists to surrender. He never had won over Belmokhtar. But Zaoui thought they had an understanding: Don’t target Algeria.

Link:http://world.time.com/2013/04/01/the...ttles-algeria/

[davidbfpo]

A rare update on internal politics:http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomeg...ia-s-president

Which ends:

Mohamed Benchicou, a respected commentator, thinks otherwise. “For the first time since independence the security services have been marginalised,” he wrote in the online journal Tout Sur l’Algérie. “God is dead.”

[davidbfpo]

There is a Presidential election in April 2014, yes I know what does that actually mean?

In rare coverage of Algeria, Carnegie have published a short article (as per title):http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/20...n-algeria/h0s4

Here is a taster:

A few months ahead of the presidential elections—and despite their pronouncements—the Islamists have not only proven unprepared but also unable to rally behind a consensus candidate. This is a strong indication that they lack a real electoral future.

(Ends) The images from Egypt and Syria serve as painful reminders, and the belief that a vote for the Islamists will not be the solution to Algeria’s problems seems to have only strengthened.

What happens in Algeria IMHO matters in the Arab World, not for the "man in street", rather those who today have the power.