Algeria at the Crossroads: How the United States Can Help the Algerians Fight the Battle Against Violent Islamic Extremists (Report‪)‬

How the U.S. Can Help the Algerians Fight the Battle against Violent Islamic Extremists? Algeria is a country generally misunderstood by many Americans both in the policies of its Government and in the writings of her scholars. Algeria's geographical location along the north coast of Africa can be seen as a metaphor for its dilemma; it is considered as part of the Mid-East when convenient, as part of Africa when necessary, and yet it is physically closer to Europe than to the Levant. Fighting terrorism intermittently since its birth 60 years ago, Algeria has served as a test case both for those who use terrorism as a tactic and also for those who must respond to this tactic. It is this unique situation, coupled with the globalization of terrorism, that puts Algeria at a precarious crossroads from which it can progress into the modern world or regress into the chaos of uncontrolled terrorism. While the people of Algeria anxiously await a glimpse of the path that their country will take at this crucial juncture, we in the West, particularly in the United States, must ask ourselves two questions: How can we help, and what can we learn?