What is store for Algeria’s president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the wake of Tunisia and Egypt?
One key issue may be that 95% of Algeria’s export revenues are from oil and natural gas. In addition the oil and gas fields are in the deserts of the south where as the majority of the population, 85%, live in the north along the Mediterranean coast. Thanks to strong hydrocarbon revenues, Algeria has a cushion of $150 billion in foreign currency reserves and a large hydrocarbon stabilization fund.
This suggests that the government may be more isolated from the economic impact of prolonged civil unrest than Egypt was.
Additionally, neither the aid from the US or France is anywhere near the $1.3B lifeline the US annually supplied the Egyptian military with the incumbent influence.
Geopolitics 