Understanding the Persistence of Competitive Authoritarianism in Algeria

Description

This book unravels the secrets behind the Algerian regime’s survival and the pillars of its longevity. How did authoritarian consolidation happen, and why is it likely to continue despite Bouteflika’s departure and the emergence of a new actor: the popular movement, Hirak. The author sheds light on the pillars behind the durability of Algeria’s regime. The latter has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to perpetuate itself through an array of mechanisms. It identifies Algeria’s authoritarianism as a distinctly competitive and adaptable kind, which has better allowed the regime to persist in the face of all manner of change. The book analyzes Algeria’s situation and the regime persistence far from the premise of a trend towards democratization. The project also contributes to a broader area of study concerned with “competitive authoritarianism,” regimes that face domestic resistance, the question of what and how compels such regimes to change, the nature of their political institutions, and more. Acknowledgments Praise for Understanding the Persistence of Competitive Authoritarianism in Algeria Contents Acronyms 1 Introduction Algerian Leaders’ Political Playbook The Pillars of the Algerian Regime References 2 The Military: The Real Broker of Power in Algeria At the Beginning, the ALN The Crisis of the Summer of 1962 Not the Last Military Coup Boumediene and the Rise of Military Security Bendjedid and the Advent of Multiparty Politics The Army, the DRS, and the Years of Lead Bouteflika in, the Military Back to Their Barracks? Bouteflika Out, the Men in Uniform Win Again Resolute Hirak, Tenacious Military References 3 Hyperpluralism and Co-Optation: The Secrets Behind Turning the Opposition into a Pillar of the Regime The 1989 Opening and the “Partification of Politics” The Main Opposition Parties The Legislature: The Best Means to Neutralize Opposition The Islamists and the Art of Co-Optation Elections at Any Cost: The Need for a Democratic Alibi Nodding and Losing Credibility References 4 Divide and Conquer: The Atomization of Civil Society 1962–1988: Between Repression and Toleration CSOs in the 1990s: Totemic Organizations and Agents of Stabilization? CSOs as Agents of International Legitimation Bouteflika’s Use and Abuse of CSOs The Regime’s Toolkit for the Recalcitrant Legal Obstacles Cloning Strategy CSOs: Mirror Image of the Regime References 5 A Controlled Economic Liberalization 1962–1988: The Monopolization of the Hydrocarbon Industry Ben Bella and Autogestion Boumediene’s Policies and the Rise of Opportunities to “Cash In” 1978–1992: Chadlism, Infitah, and Affairisme For a Better Life? “Work and Rigor,” a Difficult Serenity Impossible Reforms 1992–1999: War Economy and the Structural Adjustment 1999–2019: Bouteflika and the Rise of the Algerian Oligarchy The Creation of Custom-Made Monopolies The Mechanics of Corruption 2019: Yet Another Reset? References 6 The Policies of Violence and Repression 1962–1988: The Years of Lead Violence Against Opponents Violence Against Society The Repression of Identity and Its Culmination: The Berber Spring October 1988, the Grapes of Wrath 1989–1992: The Descent Into Violence The FIS: From Accommodation to Confrontation 1992–1998: Repression and the “Total War on Terror” The “Security Centers” The Total War on Terror and Forced Disappearances 2001: The “Black Spring” The 2019 Hirak: Calibrated and Targeted Repression References 7 Conclusion: Algeria’s Future Prospects—Less Competitive, More Authoritarian References