Analysts: Algeria “Teetering on the Brink of a Crisis”
Algeria and its president Abdelaziz Bouteflika have weathered the storm of Arab Spring revolutions that toppled governments in many surrounding countries. The Atlantic Council's Karim Mezran writes, however, that the country "may be teetering on the brink of a crisis, with the ...
Bouteflika in “Good Health,” Speculation on Succession Grows
The office of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that the president suffered a small stroke, revealing the reason for the president being airlifted to a French military hospital outside of Paris on Saturday. The public statement, a first from ...
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Algeria
The Department of State's annual country reports on human rights practices details restrictions on the freedom of assembly and association, lack of judicial independence, and overuse of pretrial detention that continue to tarnish the Algerian government's record in 2012 ...
POMED Notes: “Algeria Between Reform and Stability”
The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) hosted a public discussion focused on political reform and security in Algeria featuring SAIS faculty members, Profs. William Zartman and Eamonn Gearon. The event was moderated by Prof. Daniele Moro. For full event notes, continue reading or click here for the PDF. Dr. William Zartman began the discussion with remarks about the struggle between reform and stability in the Middle East and North ...
Wilson Center Releases Arab Spring Paper
To mark the 2nd anniversary of the Arab Spring, the Woodrow Wilson Center released a report, titled "Has the Arab Spring Lived up to Expectations?" The report features opinions from 39 experts from the Middle East, North Africa, ...
Clinton in Algeria to Discuss Mali, Women’s Participation
A week after the first ever U.S.-Algeria Strategic Dialogue took place, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travelled to Algeria with State Department officials to discuss how best to strengthen the U.S.-Algerian relationship amid concerns over the situation in Mali. “Algeria’s ...
Clinton to Visit Algeria, Saharawi Congress Underway
Following a call by Mauritania and Algeria for dialogue, the State Department confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Algeria next week to address concerns over the crisis in Mali. In Washington, the Senate Intelligence Committee
Clinton Optimistic on the Maghreb at CSIS
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave the keynote address at an all-day conference on the "Maghreb in Transition" on Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Clinton focused her remarks on the broader trends in the region, asking the audience to look beyond the headlines and "weigh the violent acts of a small number of extremists against the aspirations and actions of the region’s people and governments. That broader view supports ...
Western Sahara Autonomy Discussed, Violence Condemned
King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced his country's commitment to talks on Western Sahara, offering to grant an autonomous status within its sovereignty. However, the Polisario Front, which is fighting for independence and supported by Algeria, rejected the proposal. ...
Algeria Calls for Limits on Freedom of Expression
During his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci called for new limits on the freedom of expression. He suggested that the U.N. should take a lead role in such an effort by providing a forum ...
Marzouki Denounces Dictators, Supports International Cooperation
On September 27, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki addressed the U.N. General Assembly calling on the international community to address "violence and extremism," while also acknowledging the economic and social problems his government inherited as a result of the ...
Pillay Condemns Bahrain’s “Reprisals and Intimidation” against Critics
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay included Bahrain among the 16 nations accused of allowing government members to undertake "reprisals and intimidation against individuals" critical of regimes. Pillay said, "People may be threatened or harassed by ...
POMED Notes: The Middle East and Arab Spring: Prospects for Sustainable Peace
On Tuesday (9/11) the Johns Hopkins SAIS department hosted a panel discussion entitled, “Middle East and Arab Spring: Prospects for Sustainable Peace on Tuesday,” part of a series of events exploring the relationship between democracy and conflict. The panel included Azizah al-Hibri of KARAMAH: Muslim Women Layers for Human Rights, Dr. Muqtedar Khan of the University of Delaware, Laith Kubba, of the National Endowment for Democracy, Dr. Peter Mandaville of ...
Weekly Wire – September 10
POMED's Weekly Wire for the week of September 10th is now available. In this edition, we highlight these top stories: International Community Responds to Bahrain Activists' Sentencing U.S. Finalizing $1bn Debt Relief for Egypt New Algerian Prime Minister Announced Donors Pledge Billions to Bolster Yemen Transition Kuwait to Rule on Electoral Law To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
Algeria Appoints New Prime Minister after Delay
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appointed Abdelmalek Sellal as Algeria's new prime minister, replacing Ahmed Ouyahia, who had held the post since 2008. Sellal took office Tuesday promising to push ahead with reforms, four months after parliamentary polls, and ahead of the ...
Algerian Government at a Standstill
With four months elapsed since Algeria's legislative elections in May and no new government yet named, politicians from several parties are expressing frustration and concern for what many call an unprecedented government absence, even for Ramadan. "There is ...
Potential Political Shake Up in Algerian Parliament
The three-party Islamist coalition, the Green Algeria Alliance, faces possible dissolution as one of its parties, the Movement of Society for Peace, reels from internal turmoil. Amar Ghoul of the Movement recently resigned and at least 20 MPs loyal to ...
Algerian Guards Hold Sit-In for Suspended Pay
Algerian community guards in the province of Boumerdes held a sit-in Tuesday outside their provincial headquarters to demand their pay from the month of June. The supplementary police force accused the government of suspending their pay because of their involvement in ...