Risky Betting on a Big Gambler in Algeria
Is the UK making in Algeria the same blunder that France did in Tunisia? In the midst of the general unrest in Algeria, at a time of regional upheavals, and before the so called National Commission for Consultations on Political...
Unrest In Algeria: The Window is Closing Fast
“Algeria is ‘sitting on a volcano’.” We will continue to sift for opportunities to support reform, and should be prepared to offer our frank but private opinion of Algeria’s progress along the way”. This was how David Pearce, the former...
What next for Egypt?
If there was ever a better time to read ‘Egypt: The Moment of Change’, a book edited by Rabab El Mahdi and Philip Marfeet which was launched in front of a packed audience at SOAS in 2009, then it is...
The Geopolitical Repercussions of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution on North Africa
The political upheaval which toppled Ben Ali’s regime in the most spectacular way is undoubtedly a historic moment. While acknowledging the Tunisians’ agency in bringing about this change it will not be an overstatement to say that Ben Ali’s regime...
Western Sahara: No longer a low intensity frozen conflict
Conficting reports have been emerging regarding the violence that broke out in a protest camp near Laayoune, Sahara’s main town, when Moroccan forces moved in at dawn to dismantle it. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and...
Just What is Happening In Algeria?
The assassination of the Algerian chief of national police Colonel Ali Tounsi coincides with the standoff between the Turkish Government and the military establishment. In Algeria, a conflict of similar colouring has been underway for several months. The spectacular decapitation...
2009 Presidential Elections: Troubles Ahead for Algeria?
This April Algerians will be electing their president. Not much of an election though. Observers agree that it is more a coronation of the current president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The absence of credible opposing candidates due to the decision of the...
Hamas’s Stunning Victory.. Time will tell
A deluge, an earthquake, a political tsunami, the journalists and commentators worldwide have been struggling to describe the landslide victory of Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. While some are still bewildered by this historic moment destined to mark a...