Large numbers did not vote because they saw the election as a charade. This sentiment was clear in countless blogs and posts on the internet. Again and again Algerians underlined their disgust with the political class, with ‘le pouvoir’
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 Ghilès invokes a wealth of memory from his years reporting
Ameen Outspoken uses spoken poetry to shed further light on the bloodshed and atrocities being committed in Syria. He reminds us that we must not avert our gaze when innocents are suffering.
We want to open up a public conversation which will situate the country’s history, society and politics within the wider context of the Arab World; one that will be finely attuned to specificities and generalities as we explore what Algerians aspire to for them and their country in the twenty-firs
With the population now standing at just 37 million, the memory of October 1988 refuses to go away. That event encapsulated the gulf between the small political and military clique and the excluded majority, still the defining feature of Algerian politics.
Endemic socio-economic difficulties have made Algeria a candidate par excellence for the domino effect of the so-called ‘Arab Spring.’ But, despite largescale discontent with the status quo for many years now, the iconic slogan “the people want to topple the regime” has been remarkably absent from
This Maghrebi state has so far been spared the domino effect of recent revolts in the region. The iconic slogan, “the people want to topple the regime” has been remarkably absent from the protests, and the stability of Algeria is seen in the west as pivotal to the continuation of the process of ch
Algeria, a rich petrol country, has the means to buy social peace. In Algiers, the government took the necessary measures, while the police has a unified command structure. But above all, the Tunisian regime lost ‘street opinion’.
Algeria’s fratricidal war has divided democrats, seriously damaged civil society and left a political vacuum in the face of the ruling parties. There is almost no opposition with a proper base that can take the demands of the people forward.
The urban, educated, upper middle class were fed up with the Ben Ali clique which they viewed as corrupt. Thus, in contrast to Syria, this section of society chose to support the 2011 revolution which started in the midst of the poor Tunisian interior, and their support was pivotal.
In ganging up on housing estates, in racist attacks or inter-state brinkmanship, how does the enemy become the Other? This peculiar purification process requires a narrative and a chance to 'perform a boundary'. For local and national communities, leaders and politicians alike, it is one way to re
While most of the world attention has been focused elsewhere, the early days of 2012 have seen a series of strikes and protests in Algeria. Is this the long awaited Algerian awakening?
