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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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Algeria slowly came out of a long and painful civil conflict that took more than 150,000 lives. This wouldn't however been possible without the current high oil and gas prices. They may turn the so far inward looking political oligarchy into an expansionist regional power. The paradox is that with so many big power sponsors and unexpectedly bigger state incomes Algeria may again miss its modernization goals.

After more than a decade of harsh religious conflict and several year of uneasy 'truce', it seems that finally Algeria has found its internal peace, lost almost 2 decades ago. If existing, the Muslim fundamentalist rebel movement is marginalized to a level not to represent any political danger for the ruling oligarchy. The statistics showing tens of thousands dead and missing annually are gone. The police regime keeps tight control over political and social life and dissidents. Many intellectuals feel uneasy sense of comfort to live under a repressive regime, which however is secular instead of fundamentalist. The local media herald the current ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be the architect of this national revival. This may partly be true but the real reason for this temporary break is more economic than purely political.

By coincidence the period of 'truce' began with the most recent rise of oil and natural gas prices, the two most important goods in the Algerian export list. In real terms the Algerians saw their incomes rising by more than 100% in the last 4-5 years. The government has more money to buy local tribes' loyalty, more money to pay to the security forces, and more money to sponsor social programs and to create artificial employment. Like during the last decade before the oil prices dropped in the mid-1980s, Algeria has now plenty of opportunities to fix many of its economic and social problems, to initiate democratization and to make the future challenges less painful than in late 1980s.

Instead of doing this, the Algerian leadership buys time by exchanging money for popular loyalty and for prestigious projects some of them military that will hardly bring back any return. Now when the regime is a welcomed partner to any big power, in West as well as in East, it spends billions on expensive weapon systems produced by Russia. Modern aircrafts, tanks, anti-missile systems, all these weapons can hardly be assumed to increase the chances of this government to fight successfully against local Muslim guerillas. These weapons are designed for a big war against other states. In the context of North African geo-political game, the most likely scenario is that Algeria will use its new financial and military power to secure a decisive victory for its protégés fighting for independence of Western Sahara from Morocco.

The fears in the West from seeing Muslim fundamentalist regimes in North Africa is so big they are ready to forgive almost any human rights violation made by their protégés like Algeria. It seems they may be ready to forgive them some military adventures too. Another good moment fro Algeria seems to be missed when democratization could have been done in peaceful and orderly way.

Algeria profile:

• Area: 2.3 million sq km
• Population: 33 million (July 2005 est.)
• Median age: 24.36 years
• Population growth rate: 1.22% (2005 est.)
• Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth: 71.45 years
• GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $7,300 (2005 est.)
• Population below poverty line: 23% (1999 est.)
• Unemployment rate: 22.5% (2005 est.)
• Main treading partners: European Union, United States, Canada, China.
• Internet users: 845,000 (2005)

(Sources: CIA World Factbook 2006, Reuters, AFP)

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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Algeria.