The Long Echo of Conflict: The Memory of 1990s Black Decade in the Modern Political Culture of Algeria
Abstract
The contemporary political history of Algeria continues to draw attention of both Russian and foreign IR scholars. However, as a rule, they have focused primarily on internal political trends in Algeria in recent years or on the process of post-conflict reconstruction started in the country at the turn of the century. In contrast, the author stresses that in order to provide the correct understanding of dynamics of political processes in Algeria all these issues should not be viewed in isolation from each other. This paper examines the role of traumatic post-conflict experience in shaping modern Algerian political culture.
The author outlines four periods in the contemporary history of Algeria, each of them corresponding to different stages in post-conflict reconstruction of the country. In the first section the author examines initial steps taken by the Algerian government at the end of 1990s and in the mid-2000s in order to stop violence and re-establish the normal functioning of the authorities. The author emphasizes that the Algerian government combined measures directed at establishing a dialogue with the opposition and massive use of military force against radical Islamists. During the second stage of post-conflict reconstruction (the second half of the 2000s), the government had tried to consolidate the society while the third stage, which coincided with the Arab Awakening, was marked by governmental efforts to prevent a possible revolutionary outburst and new destabilization of political system. Finally, mass protests in Algeria in 2019 marked the beginning of the fourth stage of the process during which the national elites have made every effort to guarantee the maintenance of the constitutional order even in case of a rapid change of political regime. The author points out that a living memory of the civil conflict has played an important part in consolidating the Algerian society. On the one hand, this memory helped to keep protests on a peaceful, non-violent track. On the other hand, it pushed the elites towards a more flexible policy and search for a compromise with the opposition. One can notice that despite constant evolution of political situation in the country the legacy of the conflict has always had a considerable and continuous impact on the political process. This issue, even if it is not directly put on the agenda, is still guiding behavioral strategies of both the civil society and the elites.
About the Author
A. I. Vasilenko
Institute of Oriental Studies
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Anastasia I. Vasilenko — Research Assistant at the Center for Arab and Islamic studies
12 Rozhdestvenka Str, Moscow, 107031
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Review
For citations:
Vasilenko A.I. The Long Echo of Conflict: The Memory of 1990s Black Decade in the Modern Political Culture of Algeria. Lomonosov World Politics Journal. 2019;11(2):171-200. (In Russ.)
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