| By: |
Miriam Shabafrouz (GIGA Institute of Global and Area Studies) |
| Abstract: |
Algeria’s intrastate war in the 1990s, during which militant Islamists and the
state fought fiercely against each other, still raises questions concerning
the decisive factors leading to its onset and escalation. This paper uses the
resource curse approach and the rentier state theory to understand the impact
resource wealth could have had on the outbreak of this violent conflict, then
goes one step further, adopting a context-sensitive approach. This approach
attempts to juxtapose those conditions directly linked to the resource sector
with the general conflict-fueling conditions diagnosed in Algeria. It takes
into account conditions both within the country and in the international
context. The application of a context matrix allows us to examine the
interplay of resource-related factors and other conflictdriving forces, such
as socioeconomic, demographic and ideological changes. Such an approach not
only broadens the general understanding of the resource-violence link but also
enhances our understanding of the eruption of violence in Algeria. |
| Keywords: |
Algeria, oil, civil war, resource curse, rentier state theory, context approach |
| Date: |
2010–01 |
| URL: |
http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gig:wpaper:118&r=ara |