by James D. Le SueurFrom the publisher:
This book by an internationally recognized expert on Algeria and political Islam, tells the story that began with that country's attempt to make the transition from authoritarianism to democracy - a move never made after the imposition of martial law in 1992 by a military government forestalling the imminent electoral success of the Islamist National Salvation Front. The principle Islamist leaders were arrested, other militants went underground, and the aggressive actions of the military government spun the country into chaos. Islamists declared a jihad against the state which responded in turn with extreme methods of suppression. During the next decade, over 100,000 civilians were killed, often caught in the crossfire. Today, despite the historic 2005 amnesty referendum, which sought to end the standoff between the State and Islamic militants, the violence continues to threaten the stability of the current government as well as the entire region. Between Terror and Democracy: Algeria since 1989 is mandatory reading for those seeking to understand the current international situation.
James D. Le Sueur is Associate Professor of history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a Senior Associate Member of the Middle East Center at St. Antony's College, Oxford.
