Carol Migdalovitz
Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs
The focus of this report is Algeria, a country in North Africa that is increasingly important for U.S. efforts to counter international terrorism as a key partner in the fight against Al Qaeda linked groups. As an energy producer, it also is a significant source of natural gas for the United States and not a major recipient of U.S. aid.
The overall domestic situation in Algeria remains relatively stable. An elected president dominates the political system, but the military, the most significant political force since independence in 1962, still is viewed as the ultimate arbiter of who fills the office. It backed Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the presidency in 1999. He was reelected for a third term in April 2009 and has no clear successor. The voice of the military has been muted publicly since Bouteflika was first selected, but may be heard during presidential succession. Low voter turnout in the May 2007 parliamentary election may have reflected general lack of public faith in the political system as well as common knowledge that the legislature is weak. Authorities specifically boasted of a higher turnout in the 2009 presidential election.
The major domestic problem is terrorism, which has spread beyond Algeria’s borders. It persists at home while Algerian terrorists operate across the southern border in the Sahel and are linked to terrorism abroad. The U.S. State Department lists two Algerian groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The more notorious and active is Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in 2006 and may increasingly be described as a criminal-terrorist mutation. Algeria, as the dominant economic and military power in the region, has attempted to take the lead in developing a regional approach to counterterrorism in the Sahel. In addition to addressing the threat, Algiers seeks to prevent foreign, that is, French and U.S., intervention justified by the need to combat terrorists. However, it does welcome other kinds of outside support for the effort.
The Algerian economy is largely based on hydrocarbons, which are overwhelmingly the predominant national export. The revenues they produce have enabled increased public investment but have yet to remedy the country’s significant socioeconomic ills.
President Bouteflika’s tenure has produced an energized foreign policy. Strains in ties with neighboring Morocco continue, mainly due to the unresolved status of the Western Sahara, but also due to a rivalry for regional power. Relations with former colonial power France remain complex and volatile as Algeria and France sometimes compete as much as cooperate in efforts to counter terrorism in the Sahel. U.S.- Algerian relations are generally good and highly focused on counterterrorism as the United States seeks to support regional governments in their fight against AQIM.
See also CRS Report RS20962, Western Sahara: Status of Settlement Efforts, by Carol Migdalovitz..
Date of Report: November 22, 2010
Number of Pages: 17
Order Number: RS21532
Price: $29.95
Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports
Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs
The focus of this report is Algeria, a country in North Africa that is increasingly important for U.S. efforts to counter international terrorism as a key partner in the fight against Al Qaeda linked groups. As an energy producer, it also is a significant source of natural gas for the United States and not a major recipient of U.S. aid.
The overall domestic situation in Algeria remains relatively stable. An elected president dominates the political system, but the military, the most significant political force since independence in 1962, still is viewed as the ultimate arbiter of who fills the office. It backed Abdelaziz Bouteflika for the presidency in 1999. He was reelected for a third term in April 2009 and has no clear successor. The voice of the military has been muted publicly since Bouteflika was first selected, but may be heard during presidential succession. Low voter turnout in the May 2007 parliamentary election may have reflected general lack of public faith in the political system as well as common knowledge that the legislature is weak. Authorities specifically boasted of a higher turnout in the 2009 presidential election.
The major domestic problem is terrorism, which has spread beyond Algeria’s borders. It persists at home while Algerian terrorists operate across the southern border in the Sahel and are linked to terrorism abroad. The U.S. State Department lists two Algerian groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The more notorious and active is Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in 2006 and may increasingly be described as a criminal-terrorist mutation. Algeria, as the dominant economic and military power in the region, has attempted to take the lead in developing a regional approach to counterterrorism in the Sahel. In addition to addressing the threat, Algiers seeks to prevent foreign, that is, French and U.S., intervention justified by the need to combat terrorists. However, it does welcome other kinds of outside support for the effort.
The Algerian economy is largely based on hydrocarbons, which are overwhelmingly the predominant national export. The revenues they produce have enabled increased public investment but have yet to remedy the country’s significant socioeconomic ills.
President Bouteflika’s tenure has produced an energized foreign policy. Strains in ties with neighboring Morocco continue, mainly due to the unresolved status of the Western Sahara, but also due to a rivalry for regional power. Relations with former colonial power France remain complex and volatile as Algeria and France sometimes compete as much as cooperate in efforts to counter terrorism in the Sahel. U.S.- Algerian relations are generally good and highly focused on counterterrorism as the United States seeks to support regional governments in their fight against AQIM.
See also CRS Report RS20962, Western Sahara: Status of Settlement Efforts, by Carol Migdalovitz..
Date of Report: November 22, 2010
Number of Pages: 17
Order Number: RS21532
Price: $29.95
Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports
Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.
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