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Article: A new chance to put couscous on the table. (politics in North Africa)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 10, 1988
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Reform is stirring in the Maghreb. Cautious democrats cannot guarantee stability unless people get jobs and food
NORTH Africans are rewriting their political primers. Riots in Algeria have forced the single party to loosen its grip. Tunisia's new president, who couped his way to power in 1987, has called early elections next April. Even in monarchical Morocco, a growing middle class is demanding a bigger voice in the affairs of the kingdom.
The post-independence rhetoric of optimistic nationalism, state intervention and self-sufficiency has worn thin in the Maghreb. Despite democratic trappings in Morocco and Tunisia, power remains concentrated and ...