Algeria

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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.

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.

Christopher S. Chivvis, Amanda Kadlec

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.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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.

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.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Michael Shurkin, et al.

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.

Michael Shurkin