Staying Power

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck is a resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where her work examines political and extremist violence, radicalization, Islamism, and jihadism with an emphasis on Algeria. She recently published a paper on Algeria, titled “Limiting Change Through Change: The Key to the Algerian Regime’s Longevity,” examining the mechanisms the regime uses to maintain itself in power. As Ghanem-Yazbeck writes, the regime has shown a capacity to distribute political and economic resources in a controlled manner, “creat[ing] an appearance of change and pluralism that has allowed the regime to absorb social dissatisfaction, keep society in check, and strengthen the foundations of its rule.” It is to discuss the paper that Diwan sat with her in June.