Algeria: An Uncivilized Civil War
Abstract
Those in Algeria who speak out for social justice often fall prey to the political violence that has accounted for over 28,000 deaths in the last two years. Moderates on both sides are seeking peace from the undeclared civil war that resulted when the military-backed regime canceled elections that Islamic fundamentalists were certain to win in 1992. Violence has recently escalated and fatalities on both sides are now running between 200 and 300 a week. This essay will address Algeria's present predicament and the issues that make solutions to Algeria's problems uniquely Algerian. Specifically, it will examine Algeria's history of socio-economic problems, regional implications, and U.S. policy. Algeria, a large North African country, possessed the strongest industrial base of all the Maghreb nations in the 1980s and was well on its way to transformation from a socialist one-party authoritarian state to a multi-party democratic polity in the 1990s. How could Algeria deteriorate to such chaos so rapidly? The answer to this question is not simple and the solutions to Algeria's problems are even more complex. The stakes of the war are high, since a victory by the Islamic fundamentalists would send political tremors throughout the neighboring Maghreb states, as well as in Egypt and beyond. The chaos resulting from the conflict is further exacerbated as the war is waged amid a deepening economic crisis. The servicing of Algeria's foreign debt, which now amounts to 70 percent of the gross domestic product, absorbs the bulk of export revenues. Prices are up and investment and production are down, while unemployment has reached a quarter of the labor force -- a highly explosive factor in a country in which 70 percent of the population is under 35 years of age. To begin an assessment of Algeria's present predicament, the author first looks to the roots of the conflict.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA441026
Entities
People
- Terry Robling
Organizations
- National War College