CC BY
51WW&Jü (Шл Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 102
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • Y1 jJjj И i tÁjiüljjVl
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
УДК 327
Original Paper Оригинальная статья
THE ALGERIAN HIRAK: ASSESSING ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FROM A NON-COLONIALIST PERSPECTIVE
Sekhri
University of Algiers 3 Ibrahim Sultan Cheibout [email protected]
Submitted: February 10, 2021 Поступила в редакцию: 10 февраля 2021 г.
Reviewed: February 24, 2021 Одобрена рецензентами: 24 февраля 2021 г.
Accepted: February 29, 2021 Принята к пубпикации:29 февраля 2021 г.
Abstract
This academic contribution seeks to provide an objective and scientific interpretation of the Algerian protests movement which started since February 22, 2019, and named as the Algerian Hirak. The article attempted to free the coverage of this major event in the history of independent Algeria from the narrowly ideological and political writings and post-colonial-oriented media and communication plans that attempted to falsify the reality of this popular dynamism and distort its emancipatory? aims. The presentation of this non-colonial perspective of the Algerian Hirak came in the context of the post-colonial theory that was employed as a central theoretical tool in this essay. This work focused on the essential aspects related to the Algerian Hirak, including its nature, its causes and motives, the most significant internal and external constraints and challenges facing it, the most important proposed solutions and applied policies to achieve its demands, its major achievements and failures as well as its most important future prospects. On the other hand, the article affirmed that the Algerian Hirak, and if its demands and aspirations were sincerely embodied, would inevitably allow Algeria to start a new path for economic development and political stability and turn it into a beacon for all peoples seeking emancipation and progress, just as Algeria was previously a beacon to the peoples that were under the burden of direct colonial rule. Moreover, this article also opened the appetite to other studies on other angles and aspects related to the Algerian Hirak, which definitely deserves further scientific and research attention.
Sekhri, S. (2021). The Algerian Hirak: assessing achievements, challenges and prospects from a non-colonialist
perspective. Eurasian Arabic Studies, 14, 102-119.
(Шл Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 103
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î AjjjiJl tllLjiljjIl
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
Keywords: The Algerian Hirak, causes, constraints, solutions, achievements, failures, colonialism.
For citation: Selchri, S. (2021). The Algerian Hirak: assessing achievements, challenges and prospects from a non-colonialist perspective. Eurasian Arabic Studies, 14, 102-119.
АЛЖИРСКОЕ ДВИЖЕНИЕ ХИРАК: АНАЛИЗ ДОСТИЖЕНИЙ, ПРОБЛЕМ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВ (НЕКОЛОНИАЛЬНЫЙ ВЗГЛЯД)
С. Сахри
Университет Алжира 3 им. Ибрагима Султана Шийбута [email protected]
Аннотация
Данное академическое исследование дает объективную, научную интерпретацию протестному движению Алжира, начавшемуся 22 февраля 2019 года и получившему название Хирак. Хирак изучается как одно из важнейших событий в истории независимого Алжира на основе политического дискурса и пост-колониальной прессы, целью которых является фальсификация сути этого движения и принижение его освободительных целей. Презентация неколониальных перспектив движения Хирак в контексте пост-колониальной теории является основным методом данной статьи. Исследование выявляет основные аспекты алжирского движения, включая причины его появления, мотивы, внутренние и внешние ограничительные факторы и основные проблемы, основные предлагаемые решения и политику достижения его основных целей, достижения и неудачи, а также перспективы дальнейшего развития. В статье также подчеркивается, что Хирак, в случае если его цели и требования бы были достигнуты, позволил бы Алжиру выйти на новый уровень экономического развития и политической стабильности, превратив его в маяк для всех, кто ищет освобождения и развития подобно тому, как ранее Алжир был маяком для народов, живущих под гнетом колониального режима. Кроме того, статья должна способствовать интересу к другим исследованиям проблем, относящимся к алжирскому движению Хирак, которое без сомнений заслуживает внимание исследователей и ученых.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
Ключевые слова: алжирское движение Хирак, причины, ограничительные факторы, решения, достижения, неудачи, колониализм.
Для цитирования: Сахри С. Алжирское движение Хирак: анализ достижений, проблем и перспектив (неколониальный взгляд) // Арабистика Евразии. 2021. № 14. С.102-119. (на английском языке)
INTRODUCTION
Since February 22, 2019, the Algerian people have launched a massive and well organized peaceful protests movement, known as the Algerian Hirak, which aimed at ending the rule of dictatorship, political corruption and the systematic destruction of Algerian state resources and institutions by the ruling class. After years of patience, fearing that the country will be driven into chaos, the Algerians have decided since this date to protest and invade the streets and public space in order to end the personalistic regime of former President Bouteflika and preserve the Republican character of the Algerian state and free their country from the paternalism system domestically and neo-colonial dominance and tutelage externally, notably the French political interference and neo-colonial exploitative economic policies in Algeria. With a wave of highly civilized protests, the Algerian people sought reaching a radical change of the ruling system and cutting off ties with the regime's external protectors by establishing a new and modern Algeria based on the rule of law, equity, freedom, good governance and the respect of the Algerian people's will to choose their rulers and representatives in a free and democratic manner. More than seventeen months have passed since the outbreak of the Algerian Hirak, during which Algeria has witnessed major developments and fundamental milestones that require examination with a reflective perspective and within the framework of a scientific study founded on a theoretical analysis and objective interpretation, which transcends the narrative and superficial description of the most significant events to provide a systematic and explanatory thesis that grants the Algerian Hirak its right in a thorough scientific coverage that reflects the aspirations of the Algerian people. The thirst for this scientific endeavor increases when evaluating the Western writings and media coverage regarding the Algerian Hirak, especially the French ones, which were overshadowed by a colonialist perspective and an orientalist-oriented approach that distorted the reality of the Algerian Hirak and the path of the Algerians towards emancipation and liberation as these narrow interpretations linked the Algerian Hirak with stereotypes that do not reflect the nature and objectives of the Algerian popular
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIJJ И Î Áya\jJ*¡\
Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
movement. Furthermore, many of the contributions and theses that attempted to present a general picture of the Algerian Hirak to the world and present its most important achievements and failures carried ideological tendencies and political calculations that emptied this popular movement of scientific truth and objective content1.
The above-mentioned background urges the writing of an essay that provides an objective assessment of the Algerian Hirak and examines its main aspects including its nature, the causes of its outbreak, its main internal and external constraints and challenges, its accomplishments and failures, as well as its prospects. Armed with the thoughts of post-colonialism theory, this work attempts to substitute for intellectual contributions to the Algerian Hirak that were dominated by the colonial vision. Choosing to write the article in English in an international academic journal that combines the Eurasian and Arabic spaces will definitely help achieving the article's endeavor and expand its readability. In order to reach this purpose, this work answers the following key questions: What is the Algerian Hirak? What are the circumstances and reasons for its outbreak? What are the most important proposed solutions and policies in place to satisfy the demands of the Algerian Hirak? What are the limitations and challenges it faces internally and externally? What are its failures and achievements? And what are its main future prospects? MATERIALS AND METHODS
As confirmed previously, the article takes from the postcolonial theory a theoretical framework that accompanies and supports the scientific arguments of this contribution, especially in its endeavor to provide an explanation for the path of the Algerian Hirak from a non-colonial perspective.
Post-colonialism theory is a critical theory that accompanied the postmodernism stage by presenting an Anti-Orientalism approach aimed at defending the national values and identity of the colonized peoples because the writings related to the societal, cultural, intellectual and political structures of the non-Western world from the point of view of the West were overshadowed by a post-colonialist feeling of superiority, that did not understand the peculiarities and aspirations of Non-Western countries. This thinking is an extension of the narrow-minded colonial perspective
1 French Television channels aired several documentaries that falsified the nature and goals of the Algerian Hirak, among the most controversial was the aired documentary oil the state owned channel ''France 5" entitled "Algeria My Love". The books on the Algerian Hirak that were published in France such as the one entitled "Hirak en Algérie: L'invention d'un soulèvement" (La fabrique editions/2020) focused mainly on the tyranny and corruption of the regime, but largely neglected a fundamental aspect of the Algerian Hirak which is related to ending French tutelage over Algeria.
WW&Jü (Шл Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 106
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • Y1 jJjj И i tÁjiüljjVl
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
that justified the crimes of the colonial period by the West seeking to export a civilized project for barbaric societies. Post-colonialism theory, whose roots go back to the writings of the Italian thinker and political activist, Antonio Gramsci, was developed by some prominent thinkers, headed by Franz Fanon and Edward Said, and turned into an important theoretical framework in social, literary, political and international studies (Said, 1978).
Certainly, the nature of the Algerian Hirak unintentionally implied the Gandhi flavor, which calls for combating colonialism, exploitation and tyranny in a peaceful manner (Gandhi, 2001, pp. 383-384), due to the fear of the Algerians from returning to the stage of chaos that the country experienced in the nineties of the last century, which is, apparently, a counter thesis to Frans Fanon approach that considered organized violence as the best way to get rid of colonialism and external exploitation (Fanon, 1963, pp. 35-106). However, the article considers post-colonialism theory as an appropriate theoretical tool in explaining the course of the Algerian Hirak for at least two main reasons:
1-The Algerian Hirak is a continuation of the path of liberation of the Algerian people from the French colonialism, which managed to survive after the independence of Algeria through various channels and actors, and the French hegemony appeared strongly in the last mandates of the ousted president Bouteflika, which makes "colonialism" and "post-colonialism" as key concepts in the theory associated with the Algerian Hirak.
2- Fhe linkage of the intellectual coverage of the Algerian Hirak with communication plans and intellectual propaganda aimed at falsifying the demands of the Algerian people and distorting their emancipatory aspirations, especially through the French media, which attempted to distort the Algerians quest for building a national project free from French hegemony and which does not seek to quote the French societal model is completely consistent with the intellectual foundations and theoretical arguments of post-colonialism theory and enhance the chances of this theoretical perspective to be the theoretical framework for this article.
Consequently, the article will present an objective interpretation of the Algerian Hirak from a non-colonial perspective by examining the following axes:
- The nature of the Algerian Hirak, its causes and motives.
- The internal and external constraints and challenges facing the Algerian Hirak.
- The suggested solutions and applied policies to fulfill the Algerian Hirak's demands.
- Achievements and failures of the Algerian Hirak.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 107
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • \ 1 jjIjj И i (AjuiIjj^I ¡jjluiljjll
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
- Future prospects of this Algerian movement.
The Nature, Causes and Motives of the Algerian Hirak:
On the eve of the outbreak of the Algerian Hirak in February 2019, Algeria was going through disastrous political, institutional and socio-economic conditions that foretold the inevitability of a popular uprising at any moment.
Bouteflika's 20-year rule relied primarily on encouraging and generalizing corruption to create loyal groups and clientele networks in all fields and all institutions. This was helped by the large financial revenues that the Algerian state has known thanks to the recover}' of the oil market and high oil prices at that point in time. The personalistic and family rule of Bouteflika's regime struck the Republican character of the Algerian state, which was supposed to rely on the rule of the people and transformed Algeria into an undeclared tyrannical monarchy. Repeated amendments to the content of the Algerian constitution to sew it according to President Bouteflika's desires and the frequent organization of fraudulent presidential, parliamentary and local elections have damaged the credibility of state institutions and its legal frameworks and created a deep gap between the ruling groups and the rest of the people.
The last mandates of Boutelika's rule were a stage of political insanity, in which most parties, associations, trade union movements and media outlets became reckless supporters of a devastating program called "the President's Program", a situation that burned all channels and tools of communication between the ruler and the ruled. Matters became more unwise and complicated after the president suffered a stroke in 2013, which necessitated his absence and his inability to rule, but the rule in his name continued for years by unconstitutional groups consisting mainly of the president's family members and an oligarchy group close to the president's circle comprising businessmen who took advantage of public financial resources and privileges to accumulate undue wealth.
Furthermore, while the president and the rest of the officials were going abroad for medical treatment and care, especially in France, the Algerian health system experienced a significant backwardness, similar to all other sectors, including education, university, industry, agriculture and services.
In order to fill the lack of popular legitimacy, the Bouteflika regime resorted to external support and created clients for it abroad to ensure its continuity. France was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this strategy, as France provided unprecedented and unconditional support to the Bouteflika regime in exchange for material benefits that helped France to confront its financial and economic problems within the
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
framework of a neo-colonial policy through which the French traditional colonial perspective continued viewing Algeria as a spoil of war and a free space for
In light of these disastrous outputs, everyone thought that President Bouteflika's candidacy for a fifth term or any attempt to extend his fourth term would be a fictional adventure, but everyone was surprised with the determination of Bouteflika's entourage to keep the president in power by preparing for a new fifth term for Bouteflika or playing the card of extending the president's fourth term. This was the drop that spilled the cup.
Under these circumstances, the Algerian people did not find any alternative but the street to express their rejection of this shameful and absurd situation that affected the dignity of Algerian people whose name has always been linked to resistance and struggle inherited from the Algerian liberation war (1954-1962), thus began the story of the Algerian Hirak since Friday February 22, 2019, which gave a new breath to the Algerian national character and revived Algerians self-confidence and hope in changing the ruling regime and building a better Algeria.
The most important demands and slogans of the Algerian Hirak centered around dropping the fifth presidential mandate's maneuver, ending Bouteflika's rule, stopping corruption and fighting the corrupt, stopping French protection for the political system, and returning power to the people through democratic elections, transparency, accountability, equity and the rule of law.
In this context, it should be emphasized that the Algerian Hirak was characterized by a set of attributes that distinguished it from other popular revolutions that the Arab and Mediterranean region experienced, and the most important of which are the following:
- The Algerian Hirak was distinguished by its peacefulness in demonstrating and its sophisticated organization as it was able to gather millions of demonstrators in a civilized and violence free manner, affirming that the Algerian people have reached a large degree of political awareness that qualifies them to enter the path of democratization and freedom without slipping into disorder.
- This peaceful collective awareness and highly-civilized style of protest was confirmed by the protesters self-decision to suspend the Hirak for a temporary period
2 More than 600 French companies, including companies that were hi the way of bankruptcy, benefited from the financial fortunes that Algeria experienced, especially following the outbreak of the financial crisis that hit capitalist countries like France after 2008. The French arrogant neo-colonialist outlook is evident in the official declarations of the president of the French national rally party. Marine Le Pen, which always mocks the independence of Algeria.
2
exploitation and tampering".
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
of time due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic in the world and its arrival in Algeria which required preventive measures to curb the outbreak of the pandemic, although many of the Hirak's demands have not yet been fulfilled.
- Another feature related to the Algerian Hirak is continuity and perseverance, as the wave of protests managed to continue regularly every Friday and Tuesday for a period that exceeded the year, despite the Hirak's exposure to systematic and repeated attempts to separate its ranks and distort its path.
- An additional significant characteristic of the Algerian Hirak is its rejection to the neo-colonial methods applied in Algeria, especially French collusion with the Bouteflika regime and the continued French colonial methods of economic and financial exploitation of Algeria, this confirms that the Algerian Hirak which started in 2019 is a continuation of the path ofliberation and independence that the Algerian people went through to eliminate direct French colonialism (1830-1962), although this time the course to liberation and change is peaceful compared to the Algerian liberation war that was an armed struggle.
- Besides the above, the Algerian Hirak was distinguished by a popular unity that was able to rise above all ideological and regional differences, as it managed to turn into a venue through which ideological, partisan and political trends melted despite several attempts to fabricate many ideological and regional splits to disperse and weaken this popular unity and common awareness.
Constraints and Challenges Facing the Algerian Hirak:
It has been evident since the previous section that the Algerian Hirak witnessed a set of different restrictions, obstacles and challenges, internally and externally, that impeded its way and hampered its actual embodiment in a practical road map that achieve the desired change. In this context, the article begins with the external factor in view of its importance.
If we go back a little, we find that the processes of change through the popular uprisings that spread across the Arab region since late 2010 and the beginning of 2011 did not achieve much, except to some extent the Tunisian experience, as many Arab peoples that revolted against their rulers to establish freedom and democracy in the so-called Arab Spring reaped either the chaos and self-destruction of the state or the exit of the dictatorship from the door and its return from the window. Therefore, the Algerian Hirak's determination to peacefully protest to build democracy away from chaos raised once again the possibility of domino's effect of popular uprisings in the region and caused fears among many Arab authoritarian regimes that do not want
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
success for any popular revolution in the neighboring regions in order to preserve the
On the other hand and always in the external context, countries that have economic interests in Algeria, such as France, have remained apprehensive about the process of political change in Algeria because building a new Algeria on the foundations of representation of the people and good governance will certainly end all forms of neocolonialism and external exploitation and would surely contribute to establishing real partnerships with other countries according to the logic of win-win relationship. This explains the French media propaganda to distort the Algerian Hirak and misrepresent its demands as the French establishment is conscious that eliminating French tutelage in Algeria is one of the major Hirak's demands and aspirations4. In addition to the external context, the Algerian Hirak faced a set of internal challenges, including counter-revolutionary strategies that aimed to create ideological discord and regional division within the ranks of the Hirak as well as campaigns of repression and arrests of several activists and protestors, in addition to disinformation and fake propaganda which was disseminated through domestic media in order to curb this popular dynamism.
Moreover and as the article will reveal in the following section, the Algerian Hirak found itself in a zero-sum game position between a ruling authority that did not make much concessions and a popular movement that was able to be organized in the street but was powerless to shift this organization into a practical political road map that allows the structuring and organization of the Algerian Hirak in a unified political platform that define solutions and mechanisms which lead to the fulfillment of the demands and aspirations of the Algerian people. The Suggested Solutions and Applied Policies:
As mentioned above, the implementation of the Algerian Hirak aspirations has known a huge gap between discourse and practice and between hopes and reality. Besides, the hegemony of narrow-interests over good intentions was very evident in managing the course of this popular movement.
3 Besides denouncing the French collusion against the will of the Algerian people for political change, protesters of the Algerian Hhak denounced the role of Arab regimes, particularly the United Arab Emirates, hi curbing the winds of change in Algeria.
4 French President, Emmanuel Macron, understood, since the beginning of the Algerian Hirak, that the Algerian people reject any French interference hi Algerian affairs. Therefore, President Macron was very cautious in his official statements on the Algerian Hirak which often called for democratic dialogue and respect for the will of the Algerian people, although the French authorities were hoping for the failme of the movement and the reproduction of the same system in order to preserve France's interests in Algeria. This explains the return of intimate relations between France and Algeria after the Hirak's moratorium, due to the corona virus crisis.
survival of their dictatorships3.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIJJ И i iAjuiljj^l
Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
From the beginning, the ruling regime in Algeria stuck to not to be drawn into solutions outside the Algerian constitution, although this constitution is the result of illegal acts conducted by the Bouteflika's ruling groups against which the people revolted5.
Staying in the constitutional framework allowed the President of the Senate, Abdelkader Bensalah, to run the affairs of the country after the resignation of President Bouteflika. However, this did not stop the anger of the street because President Bensalah was considered as one of the deposed president's men, similar to Noureddine Bedoui who headed the government as Prime Minister in the same period.
In addition to remaining within the constitutional framework, the Algerian regime adopted dialogue as a political method to reach the settlement of the blockage that the country has reached, but conducting dialogue with the Hirak was a task that President Bensalah has failed to accomplish, as did the Algerian and international diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi before him. In order to deal with this malfunction, a National Panel for Dialogue and Mediation was established, it was headed by the former minister and head of Parliament, Karim Younes. However, this body failed to organize a national conference and its consultative meetings turned into a monologue between the ruling authority and its loyal channels and instruments in politics and civil society such as political parties and pro-government civil society associations. In addition to insisting on staying within the constitutional framework and focusing on the dialogue mechanism, the ruling regime led by President Bensalah focused on returning to the electoral process as the only guarantee for the restoration of power to the people, and after a first failure to organize elections on 04 July 2019 due to the lack of candidates, which was in fact the second failure in organizing presidential elections in the year 2019 if we take into consideration the canceling of elections scheduled in April 18, 2019, due to Bouteflika's candidacy for a fifth term which led to the outbreak of the Hirak, the electoral solution was imposed by force on December 12, 2019 in turbulent and unusual circumstances, prevailed by a widespread popular rejection that resulted in the election of former Prime Minister, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who is also a loyal figure to the ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
On the other side, the Hirak rejected the way in which the dialogue took place because of its endeavor to impose the logic of the ruling regime, and a large part of
5 Substantial changes to the Algerian constitution took place hi 2008 and 2016 without going through the popular referendum.
Sekhri, S. (2021). The Algerian Hirak: assessing achievements, challenges and prospects from a non-colonialist
perspective. Eurasian Arabic Studies, 14, 102-119.
'Щ^АрШс)! Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 112
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • \ 1 JJJJ И i tAjiiil jjVi A^jjiJl iiiLbolj^t
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
the citizens rejected the electoral process due to the lack of adequate guarantees for the transparency of the elections. The way in which the National Independent Authority on Elections was established and whose members were nominated by appointment and not by election as well as the unconstitutional manner in which the electoral body was convened for presidential elections led all to mistrust in the electoral process, although some of the Algerians were convinced of the urgent need to go to elections, whatever their circumstances and credibility, to avoid any subsequent disturbances.
Hirak activists and other actors who sought radical change of the system have attempted to organize various forums and launch several initiatives, whether in free structures or under the auspices of political parties or in the framework of civil society activities and free trade union movements. The proposals ranged between those who rejected the electoral solution categorically and called for a constituent assembly that establishes a new constitution and governs Algeria for a specific period and those who welcomed the electoral election on the condition of the resignation of the Bedoui government as well as other proposals calling for the resignation of President Bensalah and the installation of a presidential council to govern Algeria for a transitional period.
The mechanism of the constituent assembly has proved difficult to materialize because of the absence of transparent and objective measures that allow the choice of its members and components. As for the calls that were convinced of the electoral path in return for applying certain conditions, they did not receive any concessions from the ruling regime which decided to hold presidential elections under its total control. In the face of these circumstances, another trend emerged that called for going to the electoral solution provided that the December 12 elections would be postponed until the provision of better and more favorable conditions for transparent elections worthy of the greatness of this historic popular movement. In the end, none of the aforementioned proposals was taken into consideration as there was an implicit agreement between internal and external interest groups to maintain the same system through a contested and weak electoral output that did not live up to the aspirations of the majority of the Algerian people, which led to the continuation of the Hirak's demonstrations following this presidential election. The Algerian Hirak's Achievements and Failures:
It is clear that the above analysis and interpretation confirmed that the Algerian Hirak reached a set of accomplishments but failed to achieve a range of goals due to external and internal factors. Externally, countries and international lobbies that have
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIJJ И i iAjuiljj^l
Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
interests with the Algerian regime sought to keep the same political system to maintain dealing with the same rentier economy. On the internal side, the Hirak's failures were linked on the one hand, to the lack of desire for the ruling regime to grant full power to the people through smooth and deliberate concessions, and on the other hand, there are shortcomings related to the movement itself, as some of the components of the Hirak have intentionally caused its deadlock with the intention of controlling the movement so as to satisfy their narrow political ambitions and calculations.
The Hirak succeeded in abolishing the farce of the fifth term of President Bouteflika, who was forced to resign because of the great public pressure. Thanks to the Hirak, prominent figures affiliated with the Bouteflika regime were imprisoned and prosecuted as part of the anti-corruption campaign, including the ousted president's brother, businessmen, ministers, head of governments and heads of parties. But contrary to what President Tebboune promised in his election campaign, the anticorruption campaign did not lead to the recovery and repatriation of the looted funds, as what happened later was the opposite of what the Algerians were waiting for, as in the face of the erosion of the exchange reserves, the supplementary finance law for the financial year 2020 resorted to the pockets of Algerian citizens to cover this deficit through price increases, especially fuel prices (The Official Journal of the Algerian Republic, 2020).
Algeria after the December 12th elections is witnessing the gradual return of many figures and political instruments affiliated with the Bouteflika regime in the name of "The New Algeria" slogan. This continuation is reinforced by a well-organized and widely spread bureaucratic networks that go back to Bouteflika's regime. However, in front of this endeavor to renew and recycle the former regime, the Hirak was unable to agree on appointing representatives to unify its efforts in a common political platform to be negotiated with the ruling authority, despite the efforts of some of the components of the Hirak to unify the movement in one political front and around a unified negotiating strategy, which were, unfortunately, met with harsh rejection by some circles outside and within the Hirak. This served the ruling authority and strengthened the embodiment of the ruling regime's survival strategy. As for relations with France, despite some diplomatic stances and media statements that sometimes give the impression of strained relations between the two countries and sometimes give the impression of the return of relations to their intimate character inherited from the period of Bouteflika's rule, the French colonial penetration is still visible and the evidence for this is that President Tebboune used
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
the French language in his first official outing as he emphasized the necessity of strengthening relations with France before his election. Moreover, the current Algerian President has also pointed out the possibility to go in the option of shale gas with French companies to develop and revive the oil sector, bearing in mind that drilling for shale gas which necessitates hydraulic fracturing is forbidden in France because of its negative repercussions on the environment. This confirms the continuation of the colonial French approach that sees the Algerians as laboratory mice as it did with the French nuclear tests in the Algerian desert6. Future Prospects:
The Algerian Hirak needs to fill certain gaps and redress some critical failures and to improve dealing with the current political and socio-economic conditions in order to ensure the peaceful and smooth change desired.
The desperate attempts to reproduce the previous system under a new title, "New Algeria", using the same figures, actors, tools and mechanisms that were directly affiliated with the Bouteflika regime will definitely cause anxiety and frustration among the ranks of Algerian people.
The growing rejection of the proposed draft constitution in its formulation and content, which did not guarantee the long awaited and hoped real separation of state powers and provoked a false debate about Algerian identity, will inevitably increase Algerians' doubts about the will of the current ruling president in meeting the demands of the Algerian people and the aspirations of their peaceful Hirak (Preparatory Draft to Amend the Constitution, 2020). Moreover, passing the draft constitution through the parliament of the ousted president complicated matters further.
In addition to the previously mentioned negative political indicators, the time bomb that threatens the future of Algeria is the economic and social problems inherited from the previous era as the Bouteflika's system did not take advantage of the financial profitability that Algeria experienced due to the high oil prices in achieving health and food security, building a productive economy, eliminating unemployment and upraising the purchasing power of Algerian citizen.
6 Decades after the first French unclear test hi Algeria, named "Blue Jerboa", thousands of Algerian victims are still waiting for compensation from the French government. French colonialism hi Algeria has killed millions of Algerians since the beginning of the occupation hi 1830 and exiled thousands of resistance fighters, hi this context, in July 2020 Algeria has received the skulls of 24 resistance fighters decapitated during France's colonial occupation which were kept in storage in a Paris museum. This evidence could be added as another stigma to the barbarism of French colonialism in Algeria which has never spread civilization and progress.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И Î Äya\jJ*l\ ll^lj-Jl
Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
IEРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
As an oil rentier state, Algeria is strongly affected by the current collapse in oil prices and the volatility of the global oil market, which, as usual, the OPEC has been unable to deal with. This critical situation has negatively affected government budget and public expenditures. This critical economic situation was combined by the suspension of commercial activities and measures of lockdown and curfew imposed by the government to prevent the spread of the corona virus, covid-19, pandemic, which caused a remarkable increase in problems of poverty and hunger in many fragile social groupings, despite the government's attempts to reduce the crisis and several campaigns of social solidarity among Algerians (Ghanem, May 26, 2020). The combination of the above-mentioned political fragility with this turbulent social and economic situation means that the spices of a new Algerian uprising are close to the doors, and compared to the peaceful Hirak under study, the next round of the Algerian Hirak can be violent and non-peaceful because it is the hunger revolution and the protests of social and economic demands are usually violent protests because they are hungry/empty stomach uprisings.
The current Algerian President and his government are attempting to complete the pace of combating corruption and prosecuting the corrupt, in addition to purifying the corrupted bureaucratic apparatus inherited from the previous period. Besides, the so-called New Algeria is also endeavoring to regain its regional and international status after a long absence, through intensive diplomatic actions on the Libyan and Malian issues. However, the real establishment of the new Algeria requires a new political system that rules the country and not the recycling of the old regime. On the other hand, avoiding future violent unrest in Algeria requires social unity and the confidence of the governed in the governor, which will only be through the real embodiment of the demands of the Algerian Hirak and the successful accomplishment of radical change.
Besides, the smooth and peaceful process of the change also requires taking advantage of the shift of power in international relations to consolidate equal and win-win relations with genuine partners according to a smart Algerian geopolitical approach that enables the country to confront the foreign forces that want the continuation of the status quo in Algeria, especially France, which is still dealing with Algeria from a colonial perspective, whether in its material dealings or its intellectual approach to the project of change in Algeria .
The turbulent regional situation surrounding Algeria calls for the development of a smart Algerian geopolitical approach that knows how to choose allies. Algeria's eastern neighbor, Libya, which France, led by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has contributed to its destruction, is swimming hi a quagmire of proxy wars and oil conflicts
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIJJ И Î Áya\jJ*¡\
Eurasian Arabic Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
RESULTS
This scientific contribution to the subject of the Algerian Hirak from a non-colonialist perspective has reached the following results:
- The study of the Algerian Hirak from a non-colonial standpoint provided an objective, scientific and authentic picture of its nature, characteristics, motives and purposes.
- The Algerian Hirak is a popular and societal phenomenon of a nationalistic dynamism aimed at ending internal despotism and abolishing all forms of neocolonialism.
- In addition to its societal characteristic, the original and real spirit of the Algerian Hirak is political as its major claims are not factional, sectoral or socio-economic but are instead directly linked to political demands.
- The Algerian Hirak is a reference of emancipation in a peaceful and civilized approach, which requires further examination and research.
- The peacefulness of the Algerian Hirak proved the failure of the colonial view, which envisions that the colonial peoples are more civilized than their former colonies, and the proof of this is that the Algerian Hirak far exceeds the demonstrations of yellow vests (jackets) in France in terms of peacefulness and the civilized way in demonstrating8.
- The Algerian Hirak succeeded in some aspects and failed in others, as the real change project is still open and the dream of building a new Algeria is still a long way off.
- The achievements and failures of the Algerian Hirak were linked to external and internal factors, which included a set of restrictions and challenges.
- The Algerian Hirak has undergone several maneuvers to destroy its original national spirit and distort its political path and collective conscience.
- The absence of political will to meet the aspirations of political change and the ruling regime's unwillingness to compromise, in addition to the Hirak's failure to shift from demonstrating in the street to launch dynamism for political change within the state institutions according to a negotiated political road map, have all impeded the Algerian Hirak's path.
that could lead to the division of Libya despite Algeria's continuous efforts to reach a peaceful political solution in this country. The Sahel states neighbors hi the south are still suffering from French interference and are still very fragile states. Moreover, the regime of the western neighbor of Algeria, Morocco, is still demonstrating an unexplained hostility to the Algerian state.
3 The yellow vests (jackets) movement that began in France hi October 2018 was characterized by riots, vandalism, property attacks, and bnital clashes with security forces.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
- The future prospects for the Algerian Hirak can be negative if the ruling authority continues to be intransigent and the desired radical change will not occur, and if we add to this the worsening socio-economic problems, this means that Algeria faces a mixture of spices which might lead to a violent uprising that generates a Hirak of another type, to be exact a hunger revolution whose consequences are either absolute chaos or absolute dictatorship (Future For Advanced Research and Studies, November 14, 2016).
- The future prospects for the Algerian Hirak can be positive if the Algerian national forces are unified in a united popular front in order to face the plan to renew the foreign-backed dictatorial system by those who seek the continuation of colonial thought and colonial politics and those who are against any political change in the Middle East and North Africa in order to preserve the status quo that guarantees the survival of political dictatorships in the region and the continuation of exploitative economic policies.
CONCLUSION
In the end, it must be emphasized that the success of the Algerian Hirak in achieving a radical change of the ruling regime and building a new and modern Algerian state based on good governance will definitely transform Algeria into a model state in the region, as the wise exploitation of the existing material and human resources in Algeria will inevitably make this country a vital geopolitical center in the current world order that is experiencing fundamental transformations and shifts in the centers of global power (Khanna, 2019, pp. 357-359).
In addition, the success of the Algerian Hirak will make this country a beacon for all peoples and countries that want to be liberated from internal tyranny and neocolonialism in peaceful and civilized ways, just as the Algerian liberation war from direct French colonialism represented a beacon and a model in the armed struggle of the people who were still under the grip of colonialism at that time, especially the people of Africa9.
On the other hand, the Algerian Hirak, and if succeeded in achieving the goal of change and liberation, can become a phenomenon and a case for social, political and international studies and teaching programs in universities and specialized centers that are concerned with topics related to popular revolts, the will of peoples to emancipation, peaceful protesting, nonviolent resistance, democratization, the
9 After Algeria defeated France in 1962 and achieved independence, the country became a significant fortress for revolutionary activities in the Third World, hi this framework, Algeria helped the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Zimbabwe and other African countries that saw Algeria as Mecca of revolutionaries.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021
Y • \ 1 jjIjj И î Àya\jJ*l\ i-lL^lj^ll
Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES
LBРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ
domino effect of democratization, neo-colonialism, dependence, the struggle against neo-colonialism and dependence disposal mechanisms.
Consequently, the field of research remains open on the topic of the Algerian Hirak, which needs more intellectual and theoretical attention that addresses the angles and levels that have not been addressed yet, in particular, studies and writings that are free from the colonial perspective and any form of demagogic, political and ideological calculation, because the phenomenon of the Algerian Hirak is a popular awakening and renaissance that will inevitably leave its mark in the societal and political developments of the Algerian state and other developing countries.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
1. Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books.
2. Gandhi, M., & Kumarappa, B. (2001). Non-violent resistance (Satyagraha). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. (Original work published 1961).
3. Fanon, F. (1963). The wretched of the Earth: Preface by Jean-Paul Sartre (C. Farrington, Trans.). New York: Grove Press. (Original work published 1961).
4. The Official Journal of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (2020, June 04). Iss. 33. Law № 20-07.
5. The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria: Presidency. Preparatory Draft to Amend the Constitution. (2020). Retrieved from https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/20209%85%06/%DD8%B3%D 9%88%D8%AF%D8%A9%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8 %AA%D9%88%D8%B1-07.05.2020-1_EN- clean%20copy_0.pdf
6. Ghanem, D. (2020, May 26). Algeria: toward an economic collapse. Washington D.C.: Middle East Institute. Retrieved from https://www.mei.edu/publications/algeria-toward-economic-collapse
7. Preventing "hunger revolutions" in the Arab region. (2016, November 14). Retrieved from https://futureuae.com en-US/Mainpage/Item/2129/preventing-hunger-revolutions-in-the-arab-region
8. Khanna, P. (2019). The future is Asian: Commerce, conflict, and culture in the 21st century. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Арабистика Евразии, № 14, Июль 2021 119
АРАБИСТИКА ЕВРАЗИИ Y • \ 1 jJjj И î tÄjiüljjVi V'jiJi
EURASIAN ARABIC STUDIES IEРАЗИЯ АРАБИСТИНАСЫ Eurasian Arabie Studies, № 14. July 2021
Information about the author
Ph.D in Politics and International Relations, Professor Sofiane Sekhri
University of Algiers -3- Ibrahim Sultan
Cheibout
Algiers, Algeria
sofiane.sekhri@,aol. co. uk
Информация об авторе
Доктор политических наук,
профессор
Софиан Сахри
Университет Алжира 3 им. Ибрагима Султана Шийбута г. Алжир, Алжир яо^гапе. БекИп@ао1. co.uk
Conflicts of Interest Disclosure: The author declares Conflicts of Interest Disclosure.
Раскрытие информации о конфликте интересов: Автор заявляет об отсутствии конфликта интересов.
