Why Algeria did not Falling after the Arab Spring - Assignment Example

Why Algeria did not falling after the Arab Spring affiliation Algeria and Arab Springs Introduction The Arab spring is an ongoing process that is deeply significant to the contemporary Middle East. It is referred as a wave of revolution that entails demonstration, protest and violence that occurs in the Arab world that is the Middle East and the northern Africa regions. For the past years, the Arab springs have had an impact on the foreign affairs of the world. Many Arab countries have experienced their revolutions and protests in the past few years that almost reached levels of being called civil wars. Currently, the largest Arab revolution that is marked by civil violence and demonstration is happening in a country that is found on the western border of Iraq and located south of Turkey known as Syria1. Back in December of the year 2010, in a small northern Africa country by name Tunisia, a young street vendor by name of Mohamed Bouazizi who was twenty-six years of age started a grand revolution that was to change the Arab world forever. This later led to the revolution that was successful. This success quickly spread to other Arabic nations. Inspired by the successful story of Tunisia, Egypt was the second country to go ahead and try their luck at a revolution. This trend across the Arabic countries was now spreading with the entire world watching them strive for a good future, it was just a matter of time before other Arabic countries that were oppressed stood up to their ground and started their revolution. On the heels of the revolution in Egypt, other Arabic nations broke out into protest and demonstration to the local authority. The Yemen people managed to overthrow their president through violence that was marked by riots and protests. Towards the end of the revolution that took place in Egypt, rebels were forming in Libya so that they could start their own uprising and revolution against Gadhafi. Today, Syria is arguably a country that is most marked by internal conflicts in the Arab world. Why Algeria did not falling after the Arab Spring Since 1990, Algeria has survived for the second time another Arab spring in history. The country remained mostly extraneously to the civil unrest that was a witness in the Arab world just like Saudi Arabia. Paradoxically, Algeria has all the ingredients that can trigger civil unrest and revolution. Like any other oppressed Arabic country, Algeria is facing pressure demographically, police state and no significant reforms in the private company among others. The presence of these ingredients in the country was not strong enough to create a significant movement for revolution2. A year after the Arab spring started the regime In Algeria appeared to have yet survived what would be a difficult time of Arab revolution. The Algerian regime has never been endangered or pressured enough for reforms to be undertaken despite the marches that were held in Algiers and the strikes that were reported in the oil cities throughout the country in 2011. The Algerian society has been convinced of the impracticability of revolution taking place in the country against the government regime by the configuration of the political system that is complex and the scars that are created by the civil wars. Despite being surrounded by Arab spring, the Algerian people are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary of the country’s independence and twelve years of the countries abrogation of the democratic process. Algerian has been put on the forefront of any political speculation because of the two major turning points in the country’s history amidst the turmoil taking place in the region. The question that many have been asking is, will Algeria ever follow the paths of its Arab neighbors? The configuration of the political system in Algeria currently leaves no space for any democratic practices. The leading party that is the national liberation front has led the country since its independent. The party has been enjoying supremacy that has not been put to test. The political system is virtually sealed. The authoritarian leadership in Algeria denies the people any possibility of forming a legitimate opposition. The leadership prohibits or circumscribes any political actor’s activities organized and prevents even the slightest chance of opposition emerging in the country. Today in Algeria, there exists no political parties in the country that can provide the country with visions that are credible. As a consequence of this, any popular movement in the country can only be on the defensive side, fighting of oppression and rejecting the socio-political system, rather than taking the offensive by its horns and offering positive3. To a greater extend, unlike the other Arabic countries, the Algerian regime is purely insulated from the criticism issued by the international community because the country does not depend on tourism or on any kind of donation from outside. Therefore, unlike the Egypt that depends on the America for army donations, it is unlikely for any outside country to indulge in the country’s internal affairs. Many Algerian people are still wounded by the civil unrest that happened in the country leading to over one hundred thousand loss of lives. The unrest took place in 1992 after the Islamic salvation front won the election hence sparking brutal civil war after the army deposed the president. The aftermath and the trauma of the dirty war had carnage the Algerian society to have little appetite for any demonstrations and uprising in the country. This relative aspect of quietism in the Algerian society reflects the country’s satisfaction with the performance of the current regime. The people of Algeria should be the real beneficiaries from the rising prices of gas and the discoveries of the new oil reserves in the country. Instead of them benefiting, the country has been disintegrated socially and economically4. The country successive regimes have failed to build on the economy and the real estates; instead, what they have been focusing on is to neutralizing the resentment that the citizens hold towards the regime. The society in Algeria is too fragmented to have an action that is concerned despite isolated cases of resistance in the independent trade unions. The division witnessed in the country is being exploited by the regime and play them against each other along the same line they have been using- French versus Arab speaking, the Arab versus Kabyle the “democrat” versus the “Islamist”, beside the ethnical and tribal tensions in the country. In addition to these divisions among the Algerians, Algeria is also seen to have a very distinctive relationship between its provinces and the capital, which is the heart of the country. In cases of the recent uprising witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt, synergy was reported in other capitals and their provinces: Cairo gained support from the rest of the country’s provinces while the revolution witnessed in a small town in the furthest end of a province in Tunisia gathered strong ramification in the capital, Tunis. In contrast, in the past demonstrations witnessed in Algeria capital seemed to have less significance in the rest of the country’s provinces. This explains the fact that there exists little solidarity in Algeria between its provinces. There exist several social revolts in Algerian society, despite this, their aim is often parochial, and they are fragmented. The revolts involved, the rebellious youth and the political opposition that is weak, are seen to be distrustful and not capable of any anti-government front movement. Until today, the Algerian regime has proved to be successful in exploiting these divisions in the country5. Islam gained moment in Algeria and thus is becoming an essential part of the political as well as the cultural system of the country. The Algerian regime has been compromising with the Islamist parties for many years. Several regimes in the past have embarked on the constructions of the great mosque and support of the Islamists. This trend tends to use Islam as a basic tool to spread peace in the country and minimize any chances of revolution being witnessed. Conclusion Despite the fact that Algeria did not witness an Arab spring, it is difficult to make a conclusion that brutal awakening cannot be excluded. Currently, it is believed that Algeria is sitting on a volcano, and this makes several people including those who are in the government to fear of any likelihood of an explosion happening in the coming years. Majority of the Algerian people, about 70%, is under the age of 30 years. This generational difference makes either medium or long-term changes in the country inevitable. The income that the country gets from the gas will have its limits and is not sure if the income the country gets can be guaranteed with the gas from the shale. In addition to this, the Algerian society is seen to be deeply stratified and unequal and driven by corrupt leadership. The weakness seen in the opposition parties should not be used as a tool to hide the fact that the Algerian society is completely politicized, and this can be a trigger to any uprising in the future. Bibliography Amin, Samir. “The Arab Revolutions : A Year after.” Interface 4 (2012): 33–42. Anderson, Lisa. “Demystifying the Arab Spring.” Foreign Affairs 90 (2011): 2–7. Campante, Filipe R, and Davin Chor. “Why Was the Arab World Poised for Revolution? Schooling, Economic Opportunities, and the Arab Spring.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2012. Molina, Irene Fernández. “Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring.” The Journal of North African Studies 19 (2013): 438–440. Stepan, Alfred, and Juan J. Linz. “Democratization Theory and the ‘Arab Spring.’” Journal of Democracy 24 (2013): 15–30.  Read More