Development Challenges amid Contemporary Security Threats: The Case of Algeria

Abstract

The concept of security has been linked to human life since its beginnings. Throughout history, human beings have found stability and opportunities for development primarily in safer places where threats were limited. They sought to secure their basic needs for food and water and sometimes had to fight to obtain them. The concept of human security has since evolved to encompass several dimensions, including economic security and food security. In the contemporary world, both hard and soft threats have evident repercussions for the economic structures of states, particularly where adjoining borders are fragile. This is the case for Algeria: Tunisia and Libya, on its eastern borders, have been undergoing peacebuilding processes, while its southern borders have experienced fluctuating conditions as a result of the crisis in the Sahel and the activities of terrorist groups and Tuareg movements. The Tiguentourine incident is a recent reminder of these risks, which necessitate protecting major facilities that constitute important economic resources for the state. The economy and security are, in general, two inseparable sides of the same equation. As security threats increase, the social and economic structures of the state are adversely affected.