Self-Determination Right and Its Dimensions in the Thought of Emir Khaled al-Jazairi

Abstract

Historically, the right of self-determination has been associated with significant revolutions that occurred worldwide during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It first appeared during the American Revolution of 1776 and became more apparent during the French Revolution of 1789, taking the form of the principle of nationalities. Leaders of the national movement, such as Hamdan Ben Osman Khodja, included the principle of self-determination on their agenda and strongly defended the right of the Algerian people to emancipation and to establish their full sovereignty, similar to what occurred in Europe.

The idea of equality emphasised by Emir Khaled formed the basis for defending the political and social rights of Algerians. This is based on the premise that the Algerian nation, shaped by its long history, has developed immunity against any attempt to dismantle its multidimensional structure. Emir Khaled proposed the idea of independence, seeking to embody the concept of the Algerian nation’s autonomy from the colonial power. He started from the notion that each nation has unique characteristics and cannot merge with—or dissolve into—another nation, even if it were to wish to do so. His efforts bore fruit in the form of meetings with a number of activists abroad, where the Algerian cause was discussed. He became convinced that demands for rights would not be well received by the colonial administration. Consequently, demanding independence became an irreversible objective.