Skip to page content

Algeria

Commentary
African Dictators Have Been Losing Power—Some to Democratic Governments. Militaries Can Tip the Scales Toward Democracy
Africa's security forces most often make headlines when they commit atrocities, crack down on protesters, or seize power in coups. But Africa's troops can also contribute to democracy and peace when they lay down their arms or refuse orders to turn their guns against the people.
Sep 16, 2019
Blog
Tunisia's Role in Fight Against Terrorism Discussed at RAND Conference
The fight against terrorism in Tunisia is a shared priority and responsibility with the U.S. and Europe but will also depend greatly on solving the security issues in neighboring Libya, according to participants at a March 23 conference at RAND.
Mar 30, 2016
Commentary
Algeria: The Bastion of North Africa
Algeria could be a key regional partner for the United States and France in security and counterterrorism efforts against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. It has a clear interest in quelling the threat posed by regional jihadists and it has local knowledge that could be helpful to U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
Aug 11, 2015
Report
North Africa's Menace: AQIM's Evolution and the U.S. Policy Response
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is an amorphous, resilient, and adaptive terrorist organization that has shown extraordinary staying power in the face of counterterrorism operations. The United States should not be the tip of the spear in efforts against AQIM, except in cases involving a direct and imminent threat to the U.S. homeland.
Sep 9, 2013
Commentary
When Armies Divide: Securing Nuclear Arsenals During Internal Upheavals
With an army divided, any type of foreign intervention would be complex and fraught with extraordinary risk—success would be a long shot. But the loss of a nuclear weapon or fissile material would change the world.
Apr 12, 2013
Commercial Book
When Armies Divide: The Security of Nuclear Arsenals During Revolts, Coups, and Civil Wars
This book examines the security of nuclear arsenals during revolts, coups, and civil wars.
Apr 11, 2013
Blog
A New Book from Brian Michael Jenkins: When Armies Divide
In 1961, four French generals launched a coup against the government of President Charles de Gaulle and conceivably might have ended up with a nuclear device. In When Armies Divide, RAND's Brian Michael Jenkins uses this unusual chapter in history to discuss what can happen when nuclear states are threatened by revolts, coups, and civil wars.
Apr 11, 2013
Commentary
What Does the Amenas Attack Mean for U.S. Policy in Africa?
Coinciding with continuing, contentious hearings on the U.S. response to last September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, the attack on the Amenas natural gas facility in Algeria has elevated a more general debate about the war on terrorism and U.S. policy in Africa, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
Jan 31, 2013
Commentary
The Dynamics of the Hostage Situation at Amenas
Looking at the turmoil in Libya following Qaddafi's removal; the overthrow of governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen; and Syria's ongoing civil war, it is easy to see why the Algerian government would view any manifestation of an Islamist resurgence as a threat that had to be promptly crushed, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
Jan 30, 2013
Commentary
The Motivations Behind the Amenas Terrorist Attack
An attack of this complexity would have required months of reconnaissance, planning, recruiting of inside confederates, and training of participants. France's intervention in Mali was used to “justify” an attack that would likely have taken place anyway, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
Jan 29, 2013
Q&A
The al Qaeda Threat in North Africa
Last week's terrorist attack at the In Amenas gas complex in Algeria, along with the recent success of the militant groups fighting government forces in Mali, indicate al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are gaining influence in North Africa. RAND experts weigh in on the latest developments.
Jan 24, 2013
Commentary
Hostage Taking Exposes Terror Threat in Africa
There is a danger in viewing Mali through the prism of counter-terrorism, since the rebel element there is tangled up in movements and groups with a wide variety of interests and motives, ranging from sincere religious conviction to local political rivalries to base economic opportunism, writes Michael Shurkin.
Jan 18, 2013
Report
Historical Lessons for Creating Local Defense Forces for Afghanistan and Beyond
Lessons learned from past cases of local defense forces used in the context of counterinsurgency—in Indochina, Algeria, South Vietnam, Oman, El Salvador, Southern Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq—can be applied to the current development of the Afghan Local Police.
Sep 18, 2012
Report
Lessons Learned from Past Counterinsurgency (COIN) Operations
Six historic counterinsurgency operations are examined to determine which tactics, techniques, and procedures led to success and which led to failure, with the hope that U.S. counterinsurgency operations in the future can learn from past lessons.
Aug 17, 2007
Report
Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958
Originally published in 1963 and featuring a new foreword by Bruce Hoffman, this account of the author's successful command in the Algerian war for independence presents a striking parallel to present-day counterinsurgency operations.
Jun 23, 2006
Report
Algeria: The Next Fundamentalist State?
This study deals with the prospect of a fundamentalist victory in Algeria, the largest and one of the most important Arab states.
Jan 1, 1996
Report
Security in North Africa: Internal and External Challenges
Trends in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have an important bearing on north-south security relations.
Jan 1, 1993
Report
Algeria : The Revolution Turns Inward.
An article for [Mid East: A Middle East-North African Review], August 1970. Algeria has had some political stability for over five years. A December 1967 attempt to overthrow Boumedienne resulted in removal of the former guerrilla leaders from off...
Jan 1, 1970
Report
Berbers in the Algerian Political Elite.
Despite the existence of a sizable Berber minority, Algeria has avoided the severe conflicts in ethnic particularism that often mar political life in newly independent countries. Among reasons cited for the absence of a strong separatist orientation...
Jan 1, 1970
Report
The Maghrib and the Middle East.
This study explores the relationship between Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, and the Middle East. A geographically compact and culturally unified area, the Maghrib (North Africa) has had familial but uneasy relations with the Middle East. Its strong...
Jan 1, 1969

1
2
Next