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Algerians fought through most of the 1950's to gain independence from France, who had held ruling for more than a century. Through that struggle for independence, the National Liberation Front (FLN) was established in 1954. The FLN has dominated politics since establishment. Conflict arose after the government instituted a multi-party system. In the balloting of 1991 the success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) led the Algerian army to postpone the second round of balloting to prevent what the elite thought would be an extremist led government from gaining power. The army cracked down on the FIS which then led the FIS supporters to attack government targets. Violence during the 90's led to 100,000 deaths. Order was restored right before Abdelaziz Bouteflika won the presidency in 1999. He had been reelected for his third term in 2009. Many problems still exist such as unemployment, housing shortages, unreliable electrical and water sources, government corruption, and extremist militants. Al-Qai'da has launched an ongoing series of kidnappings and bombings that have been targeted towards the Algerian Government and Western interests.
 * Abdelaziz Bouteflika**
 * Algeria**

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and the Western Sahara.

Economy: Algeria's economy is controlled by the state. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter. Hydrocarbons are the backbone of the economy. Hydrocarbons have given Algeria a 150 billion dollar foreign currency reserve. The national debt is very low, only 1% of GDP. The development of other industries has not really worked out leading to high poverty and youth unemployment rates. A 286 billion dollar development program was started in 2010 to update the country's infrastructure and provide jobs. The hope is that this program will boost the economy however there are still the challenges of relaxing the state control of the government, diversification of industry from hydrocarbons, and providing jobs for younger Algerians. Population: 34,586,184

Social Structure: The country is a republic. People have freedoms however the media and economy are run by the state. In Algeria there are punishments for speaking against the government or leader. Many young people do not have jobs which is not in the country's best favor for continuing economic growth and development.

Prior to winning the presidential election in 1999, Bouteflika was a veteran of the war for independence from France. He was Algeria's foreign minister for sixteen years until 1979. He then went into self imposed exile to escape corruption charges that were later dropped.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation ranks Algeria as follows: Safety and Rule of Law: 54 Participation and Human Rights: 37 Sustainable Economic Opportunity: 55 Human Development: 75 These scores may not seem that impressive, however Algeria has made huge strides toward development in the past 10 years. Goals of Bouteflika's upon entering the presidency included restoring national harmony and ending years of violence. Ever since he became president, violence has declined. The country credits him with returning the feeling of security. In addition, during his terms efforts were made to help the various environmental issues that face the country, one of the most important being desertification.Already being the fourth largest gas exporter, Algeria has incredible potential for industrial growth and could one day become a larger player in the global market.

Citations "BBC News - Algeria Country Profile." // BBC News - Home //. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. . "CIA - The World Factbook." // Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency //. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. .