Legality and Legitimacy of Governance Structures in the Era of Democracy: Some Remarks on the Algerian Conflict

The forcible discontinuance of the process of democratization in Algeria in Jan 1992 was frequently understood as a legitimate emergency measure to keep the Islamists, who were seen as declared enemies of democracy, away from power. The Western reaction to the hardening of the regime in Algeria at l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Die Friedenswarte 1998-01, Vol.73 (3), p.243-262
Main Author: Oeter, Stefan
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Algeria
Coups d'Etat
Democracy
East and West
Foreign Policy
Islam
Legitimacy
Political Change
Political Power
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Summary:The forcible discontinuance of the process of democratization in Algeria in Jan 1992 was frequently understood as a legitimate emergency measure to keep the Islamists, who were seen as declared enemies of democracy, away from power. The Western reaction to the hardening of the regime in Algeria at least implicitly accepted such an interpretation of the events. A thorough analysis of the legality as well as of the intrinsic legitimacy of the coup that deprived the Islamists of their electoral victory, undertaken under the perspective of the "emerging right to democratic governance," nourishes considerable doubt with that version. By accepting the official self-description that the imposition of military rule had been necessary to save democracy in Algeria, the Western policy has severely damaged future prospects of spreading Western concepts of democracy. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0340-0255