Algeria Special: Its Place in the 2011 Revolutions (Evans)

Martin Evans, writing for Muftah, examines the political situation in Algeria and concludes, "The system has cautiously begun to head in a more open, democratic direction. The one enormous unknown is whether this will be enough to placate the anger existing within Algerian society":

See also Algeria Special: Why There is "No Critical Mass" of Protest

In the Arab World, 2011 is developing into the year of revolution.  Following the dramatic events in Tunisia and Egypt, a chain reaction has exposed the region’s autocratic regimes to popular pressure like never before. Whatever the outcome of these events, the relationship between the rulers and the ruled in the Arab World has forever changed.

The popular rage driving the protests in various Arab nations has its routes in several, common grievances. By and large, in these countries, young, educated, ambitious populations are rising up against entrenched regimes. After having experienced years of what is known in Arabic as hogra or “humiliation”, these young men and women have taken to the streets to protest against corruption, social inequalities, the absence of job opportunities, and poor housing, which that have suffocated their lives for so long. These young populations – as revealed by the slogans used by demonstrators in Tunisia and Egypt – want a different kind of future. They have mobilized to demand a stake in society, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to regain hope in the future of both their countries and themselves. No less importantly, these young demonstrators have chosen to put an end to the humiliation, which has been heaped upon them from both their leaders as well as Western governments. This frustration is rooted in anger towards their leaders – widely perceived as old and out of touch  – for allying themselves with the United States and its ‘war on terror’, as a means of justifying the repression of their own peoples. Indeed, Eugene Rogan, author of The Arabs has described the cumulative humiliations endured by Arabs during the ten years since September 11 2001 as the “worst decade in modern Arab history”.

The role played by the internet and other technologies in the current uprisings highlights the importance of this younger generation. At every turn, the use of social networking sites and mobile phones has allowed the youth to outwit their opponents, who are dismissed, in the words of one Egyptian protestor, as “those stone age men sitting in chairs”. Facebook, Twitter, and texting have been the engines of a different type of citizen politics — one that has brought people together in new ways and cannot be easily controlled by the state.

In the case of Algeria, the same volcanic factors found in other regional countries are at play, including massive youth unemployment, political disengagement, and a feeling of humiliation. However, unlike Tunisia and Egypt, the recent history of bloody violence in Algeria, as well as splits between the opposition groups, seem to be acting as a backstop for more substantial demonstrations across the country.

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