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Professor at Qatar University
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​Researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies

Dr. Al Ayachi Ansar of Qatar University presented the ACRPS weekly seminar on Wednesday, 1 February, 2017. Ansar's presentation, titled "The Role of the Army in Democratic Transition: the Case of Algeria" began with the proposition that in any given country, the army is a main component in state building, stability, and security.In the face of both domestic and external pressures and dangers, the army, together with other forces, is a tool for imposing state authority and establishing its institutions, in accordance with the general laws and regulations that shape state policy. Ansar believes that the army and the military establishment have an active role in building democracy and preserving it. This only happens, however, when the army is subject to clear and precise institutional rules, which define the limits of intervention and mechanisms of action within the general framework of the existing political order over which there is a consensus.However, according to Ansar, the army also goes beyond the constitutional role designated for it. When this happens, the army becomes the center of gravity and dictates the nature of the regime. It becomes an essential force in interfering with the decision-making process inthe management of the state apparatus and institutions. This means influencing the lives of millions of people and perhaps other strategic issues that define the present and future of society, and the nature and fate of the state.Dr. Ansar raised a number of questions regarding the role of the army and the military establishment in state building. Is the army a catalyst for establishing a modern national state, or is it a hindrance to this process? When, and under what circumstances, can the participation of the army in public affairs be considered positive and necessary? Based on these questions, Ansar attempted to analyze the status of the army and its role in the political life in Algeria. He sought to determine the historical circumstances and the social, economic and political conditions which must be met in order to make the army a major social force and a pivotal institution in the life of society, and to explain the effects of the army's intensive presence in political life.In conclusion of the lecture, Professor Al-Hawas Taqiyya, researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, presented a comprehensive discussant on Dr. Ansar's thesis, followed by a public discussion in which the audience participated.