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Algeria

Democracy
commentary
African Dictators Have Been Losing Power—Some to Democratic Governments. Militaries Can Tip the Scales Toward Democracy
Nathaniel Allen, Alexander H. Noyes @alexhnoyes
Sep 16, 2019
The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
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.
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Tunisia
blog
Tunisia's Role in Fight Against Terrorism Discussed at RAND Conference
Mar 30, 2016
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.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Algeria: The Bastion of North Africa
Christopher S. Chivvis, Amanda Kadlec
Aug 11, 2015
The National Interest
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.
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Global Security
commentary
When Armies Divide: Securing Nuclear Arsenals During Internal Upheavals
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Apr 12, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
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.
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Algeria
blog
A New Book from Brian Michael Jenkins: When Armies Divide
Apr 11, 2013
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.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
What Does the Amenas Attack Mean for U.S. Policy in Africa?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jan 31, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
The Dynamics of the Hostage Situation at Amenas
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jan 30, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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Algeria
commentary
The Motivations Behind the Amenas Terrorist Attack
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jan 29, 2013
The RAND Blog
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.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
q&a
The al Qaeda Threat in North Africa
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin, William Young, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Seth G. Jones
Jan 24, 2013
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.
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Algeria
commentary
Hostage Taking Exposes Terror Threat in Africa
Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Jan 18, 2013
USA Today
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.
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