The Resurgence of Algeria's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century

In January 1992, the military regime in Algeria interrupted the electoral process when the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), the main opposition party, seemed poised to win an overwhelming majority in parliament. Many countries disapproved of the military’s termination of the country’s promising democratic experiment, and Algeria entered a period of international isolation from which it has begun to emerge only recently. Suspicion toward the regime, both domestically and internationally, was widespread. Algeria’s notorious lack of international communication generated persistent and sometimes far-fetched speculation about the reality of the country’s internal affairs. Not surprisingly, outside powers were ill-informed about Algerian affairs. Given the existence of multiple centres of power within the central government, Algerian diplomats themselves were uncertain about their country’s foreign policy. ¹