Article Review Exercise - Coursework Example

Article Review Exercise The article, ALGERIAS PATH TO REFORM: AUTHENTIC CHANGE by Zoubir and Ahmed is pertinent to my research topic. Yahia Zoubir and Ahmed Aghrout are the authors of this article. The authors claim that the regime reproduced the scheme it devised following the riots of October 1988 to avert the effects of the Arab spring in 2011.1 The authors claim that the regime had ultimate respect for freedom and democracy that cushioned Algeria from the Arab spring. Moreover, they claim that the economic concessions offered to the civilians by the Algerian government prevented the regime from the uprisings.

The authors claim that the well-equipped and strong military in Algeria helped in responding to the Arab Spring in a better way. They also assert that a disorganized, weak, and disintegrated opposition allowed the Algerian regime to survive the uprisings with ease. Ultimately, the authors claim that the Algerian regime used direct intervention to freeze the cyclical protests. The authors support the claims in a concise, logical, and factual way. They support the claim for the impact of reproducing the October 1988 scheme by showing how the regime relied on the reforms following the 1988 riots to avert the uprisings.

2 They also support the claim for the regime’s ultimate respect for freedom and democracy by promoting the media freedom, constitutional amendments, and multi-party politics.3 The authors support the claim for offering economic concessions to the civilians by showing how the regime increased public spending, offered interest-free loans, and funded social transfers to contain the uprisings.4 They support the claim for a well-equipped and strong military by showing the professionalism of the military in quelling the cyclical protests.

5 The authors support the claim for a weak opposition by depicting the many uncoordinated and unfocused political parties that offered insignificant resistance to the regime.6 Ultimately, the authors support the claim for direct intervention by showing the deployment of 30,000 police officers to quell the CNCD demonstration on February 12, 2011.7The article perfectly fits my research strategy. Indeed, the article explains the uniqueness and immunity of Algeria to the uprisings that dethroned many regimes in the Middle East.

It also shows the economic, political, and social history of the regime with relation to the uprisings. The article identifies and supports distinct factors that cushioned Algeria from the Arab spring. Moreover, the article succeeds in showing the uniqueness of the country. The article is indeed concise, relevant, detailed, and effective for my research strategy.Clearly, the article supports me in developing an answer about my research question. The article defines the research topic, Arab spring that derives my research question.

From the introduction, the article agrees with me that Algeria was exceptional in evading the uprisings. It also presents and offer logical support to the factors that helped Algeria to survive the Arab spring unlike other Middle East and neighboring countries. Ultimately, the article treats the research questions as a reference case.The article helped me to gain fundamental insight on the trends of the Arab spring. It also informed me on how Algeria survived the uprisings. The article presented the isolated and exceptional cases of the uprisings.

However, it left me wondering on whether and how the Algerian government will continue operating normally.BibliographyZoubir, Yahia H. and Ahmed Aghrout. "ALGERIAS PATH TO REFORM: AUTHENTIC CHANGE?" Middle East Policy 19, no. 2 (Summer, 2012): 66-83.