Algerian Opposition
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Algeria after the postponed electionsThe closing window for change
For more than four months now, protesters in Algeria have been urging a clean-up of the country's politics and a new constitution. But how realistic is change given the military's iron grip on power? By Dalia Ghanem
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Civil society and democratic transition in AlgeriaAlgerian activists demand a place at the table
On 15 June, Algiers hosted a National Conference of Civil Society with the aim of producing a roadmap on how to shape the countryʹs – hopefully – democratic future. Yet at a time when civil society is just beginning to re-awaken, some wonder whether it will really be able to influence the possible transition that is looming. By Nourredine Bessadi
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Military dictatorships in the Middle EastThe real enemies of the Arab Spring
For people in the Arab world to be able to throw off the yoke of military rule, a new balance must be struck between political and social forces and the military. Though it is now years since the Arab Spring, this goal still seems a long way off. By Ali Anouzla
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Kamel Daoud’s novel "Zabor"Algeria and a patriarch's dying throes
"Zabor", the new novel by Algerian star author Kamel Daoud, tells the story of the outsider Ismael, who discovers poetry as a means of survival. Stefan Weidner sees parallels in the novel with the situation in Algeria following the ousting of Bouteflika
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Elias Khoury on the Arab Spring 2019The re-birth of Tahrir Square
Ask what happened to the spirit of Tahrir Square and we find the reply in the Maghreb. Today Tahrir Square is in Algeria, in Sudan, and in many other places besides. Perhaps the secret of the Arab Spring lies not in its victories or its defeats, writes Elias Khoury, but in its ability to liberate people from fear
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Algeria in transitionTime's up, Bouteflika!
He was brought in by the generals to save the regime, instead he ousted them one after the other. But Bouteflika was no democrat. He had come to rule for life and be buried as President. Now his own people appear to be de-railing those plans. By Bachir Amroune
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Government by consensus post-Bouteflika?Algerians riding a cyberspace wave
As Algerians wait with baited breath to see if Bouteflika steps down, Nourredine Bessadi takes a look at the role social media is playing in the current wave of social and political unrest. Already influencing the countryʹs political trajectory, will this cyberspace discourse ultimately challenge the legitimacy of the state?
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Mass anti-president protests in AlgeriaNo more Bouteflika!
Demonstrations against the controversial presidential candidacy of ailing Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika are snowballing into a mass nationwide protest movement. The end of his clan's regency is only a matter of time. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Algeria
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Civil wars in the Middle EastThe Arab issue of kith and kin
However they may appear in their early stages, Arab civil wars are wars between kinsfolk. The social group becomes partisan, whether sectarian, tribal, party political or ethnic. Whatʹs more, argues Morris Ayek, Arab civil wars have no end
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Book review: Joseph Andras′ ″De nos freres blesses ″A shameful chapter
Joseph Andras′ debut novel ″De nos freres blesses″ (Of Our Wounded Brothers) touches upon a sore spot in French history, recalling the time when Algeria was a French colony and French anti-colonialists fought alongside Algerians. Claudia Kramatschek read the book
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Algeria′s disillusioned majorityDesperately seeking voters
Algeria's upcoming parliamentary poll is failing to spark the interest of the populace. Few have any hope that the discredited political class will provide solutions to the country′s pervasive social malaise. At the same time, a handful of dedicated civil society campaigns are focusing on initiating change at grassroots level. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Algiers and Oran
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Parliamentary elections in AlgeriaIt's hardly democracy
The parliamentary elections in Algeria on 4 May 2017 mark a political watershed. Even though the outcome of the elections is not expected to hold any big surprises, this time the regime’s credibility really is on the line. By Isabel Schafer