By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the People's National Assembly and the Council of the Nation. Algeria has a long history of revolution and regime change, making the political climate dynamic and often in a state of change. The country is currently a constitutional republic with a democratically elected government, though the military, in practice, remain major powerbrokers. Since the early 1990s, a shift from a state capitalist to a free market economy has been ongoing with official support. - Source: Wikipedia
Algeria's foreign minister acknowledged Saturday that security forces made mistakes in a hostage crisis at a Saharan gas plant in which dozens of foreign workers were killed during Algerian military strikes.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday finally gave an extensive account of what did and did not happen to prevent the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb infiltrated Mali's northern frontier in 2003, after a 10-year civil war to overthrow the Algerian government. This desert region has become a safe haven for numerous Islamists linked to al Qaeda.
The White House says it will work with the Algerian government to understand how events unfolded in the terrorist attack on a natural-gas complex in the Sahara desert.
The Algerian government says 32 militants and 23 captives were killed during the three-day military operation to end the hostage crisis at a natural gas plant in the Sahara.
The chaotic end of Algeria's hostage crisis at a natural-gas plant in the Sahara on Thursday highlights the broad front on which Islamic extremists can strike back against France's military intervention in Mali.
While World Bank President Robert Zoellick warns that the world is "one shock away from a full-blown crisis," China has broken ground and taken over the economic future of a country whose nearest island to the U.S. mainland is Bimini, only 50 miles away.
The Algerian government on Wednesday warned that it will be the opposition's fault if a pro-democracy protest later this month turns violent.
