Friday, March 29, 2024 - 10:47 am CET
Email Email | Print Print | rss RSS | comments icon Comment |   font decrease font increase

   


Email Email | Print Print

post divider

Mon, Jan 31, 2011 | The Rubin Report | By Barry Rubin

A demonstrator runs barefoot toward police forces in Constantine, eastern Algeria, Saturday Jan. 8, 2011. Youths in the North African nation have been rioting for days following sudden price hikes for staples including sugar, flour and oil. (AP Photo)

U.S. Policy Toward Algeria as a Case Study for the Egypt Crisis

Two former ambassadors and several current and former U.S. diplomats have written me agreeing with my warnings regarding Egypt. One of them made the following remarks which I have heavily paraphrased.

After the 1991 elections in Algeria, in which the Islamic Salvation Front won 47 percent in the first round and was headed toward taking power, the army canceled the election and established a military junta as the government.

The U.S. government discussed the issue and decided to do nothing, remembering the Iranian experience and understanding that “one man, one vote, one time” for a radical Islamist regime was neither a great triumph for democracy or in the U.S. interest.

The U.S. hands-off policy toward Algeria during the civil war was a great success. The civil war was a horrible tragedy and both sides committed atrocities. But there was no way America could have prevented or mitigated this situation. The Algerian government appreciated the U.S. stance and its policies became a lot less extremist and hostile.

Some elements in the U.S.government wanted to push the Algerian government into negotiations with the Islamists and a coalition to emerge. The French government, which was taking the lead, was strongly opposed to this as were a number of U.S. officials. Among those supporting bringing in the Islamists was Robert Malley, today head of the International Crisis Group and an advocate for Hamas, Hizballah, Iran, and Syria.

The U.S. government decided to stay out of it and, while no bed of roses (except for the thorns), the Algerian situation has turned out as well as could be expected.

While the United States has more leverage in Egypt than it had in Algeria, ability to affect events there is limited. Still, attempts to force that government into open elections–the approach that brought civil war to Algeria–and a totally different regime would be a big mistake, paid for in Egyptian blood and American interests.


3 Comments to “U.S. Policy Toward Algeria as a Case Study for the Egypt Crisis”

  1. #US Policy Toward #Algeria as a Case Study for the #Egypt Crisis | #Islamism http://j.mp/fN2Rkl

  2. RT @CrethiPlethi: #US Policy Toward #Algeria as a Case Study for the #Egypt Crisis | #Islamism http://j.mp/fN2Rkl

  3. avatar Elisabeth says:

    RT @CrethiPlethi: #US Policy Toward #Algeria as a Case Study for the #Egypt Crisis | #Islamism http://j.mp/fN2Rkl


avatar

Quotes and Sayings

About the Region, Islam and cultural totalitarianism...

    The establishment of the Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world.

    — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Speech at a conference in Tehran entitled “The World without Zionism”; October 26, 2005

Weather Forecast

Middle East region weather forecast...

CRETHIPLETHI.COM - ONLINE MAGAZINE COVERING the MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL, the ARAB WORLD, SOUTHWEST ASIA and the ISLAMIC MAGHREB - since 2009