Algeria's Turn as Winter of Discontent Expands

I wanted to leave my tribute to Dick Parker as the top post throughout today, but the events of the past weekend also demand comment. The ferment in the Maghreb seems to be spreading. Now it's Algeria's turn. Over the weekend, what had been simmering boiled over with riots over food prices and other issues, even as the violence in Tunisia has continued, with major casualties in Kasserine and other places. I'll have more to say about Tunisia in a separate post, but first, the Algerian outbreaks.

Read Hugh Roberts at Foreign Policy's Middle East Channel for a quick primer; and The Moor Next Door's reflections here and here. Kal at The Moor notes that youth protests are much more common in Algeria, while the Tunisian troubles — Brian Whitaker has called it an uprising — are much more atypical of that country's regimented stability. I already noted Marc Lynch's suggestion late last week that the troubles in Tunisia (he added Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait) might augur an "Arab Spring."

I've earlier said I thought Whitaker's statement late last year that the Tunisian upheaval was the most important story of 2010 was perhaps overstated, or at least premature. The spread to Algeria and the metastasis of the Tunisian troubles into something much bloodier than before make me wonder if, as Whitaker suggests, "It's all looking much more serious than a week ago. Anything could happen now. And maybe it will."

This is starting to seem different. The Tunisian troubles are getting worse, not being contained by the security forces as they usually are. The death toll is rising. The Algerian riots echo this. Ultimately, sclerotic Arab regimes that cannot deliver basic necessities (job, food) to their people will be held accountable, but it may take a long time for the anger to build. It seems to be boiling over. I don't know if any regimes will fall, but I think Whitaker may have been more on target than I was, at least about Tunisia. More on that subject soon.