The Suspended Disaster: Governing by Crisis in Bouteflika's Algeria

The book "The Suspended Disaster" explores the dynamics of the Algerian political system, offering insights into the last years of Bouteflika's rule and the emergence of an unexpected social movement. It argues that the ruling coalition developed a mode of government based on managing a seemingly never-ending crisis, leading to a rejection of ruling elites and the emergence of new spaces for grassroots opposition.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 05 September 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In early 2019, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his intention to run for a fifth term, sparking a popular peaceful uprising that demanded change. Bouteflika, who had been in office since 1999, was eventually forced to resign, but the Hirak ("movement") continued to protest the country's inequalities and entrenched ruling elite.

The Suspended Disaster delves into the dynamics of the Algerian political system, offering fresh insights into the final years of Bouteflika's rule and the factors that shaped the emergence of an unexpected social movement. Thomas Serres argues that the Algerian ruling coalition developed a mode of government centered on managing an ongoing crisis, characterized by an obsession with security and the constant possibility of unrest, violence, and economic collapse. He refers to this form of rule as "governance by catastrophization," highlighting how attempts to maintain the status quo through emergency policies and continuous reforms can inadvertently create conditions for a revolutionary situation.

Serres contrasts the government's portrayal of an imminent disaster with the uncertainty, precarity, and indignity experienced by the majority of the population, which fueled the rejection of ruling elites, a deep mistrust toward institutions, and new spaces for grassroots opposition.

Based on extensive fieldwork and theoretically innovative, The Suspended Disaster sheds new light on the political, economic, and social processes underlying an uprising that transformed Algerian politics.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231212021