Algeria and Sudan: Populist Uprisings and the Military

The LA Times and The Atlantic both take a look at recent events in Algeria and Sudan where protests have recently occurred and presidents have fallen. Both presidents have been pushed out by the military. The LA Times takes a more negative view of recent events while The Atlantic takes a more positive view.

Until events go in a different direction, I believe the LA Times slant is more accurate:

“There’s definitely an effort on the part of the old regimes to maintain power, just as we saw in the previous rounds of uprisings in Egypt and elsewhere,” said Timothy Kaldas, a nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, in a phone interview on Friday . . .  Meanwhile, Western nations, wary of the post-2011 turmoil that brought the rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and millions of refugees to Europe’s shores, appear likely to fall in line, despite their lip service in support of democratic reform.



That last sentence is interesting. Especially, since we know France has planes flying over Libya. If Western nations wanted to intervene, they could. But they're not.

The Atlantic has the following:

This time around, protesters have learned lessons of the past, from their own experiences and those of others in neighboring and nearby countries. Though it is still early and much could yet change, their efforts have delivered results: Bouteflika has resigned, and Bashir has been unseated by Sudan’s military.

The article mentions 4 major points that might make these protests successful: broader appeal, staying united, digitally savvy and don't trust the army.

If you spend the time reading both articles, you'll see that both present both sides of the equation: the military and protestors. The LA Times though just seems more aligned with the fact that it will be hard for protestors to succeed when the military has taken control of the government.

Considering that Egypt is essentially under military rule and that half (if not eventually all) of Libya is controlled by the military, I wonder if the protestors in Algeria and Sudan have a chance at changing the system. The Atlantic states that the protestors have learned from the experience in other countries, but the military has learned things, as well.