Is Algeria on the Verge of an “Arab Spring” Moment?

For the past several weeks Algeria has been rocked by mass protests that harken to the Arab Spring. The protests are peaceful and enjoy wide support among diverse sections of Algerians -- and they could bring down the regime.

The protests were triggered by the decision of longtime ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika  to run for another term in office in elections scheduled for April. Bouteflika came to power in 1999 as the architect of a peace accord that ended Algeria's brutal civil war that killed as many as 200,000. But Bouteflika is now 82 years, and in 2013 he suffered a stroke and has not been seen in public since.

His decision to stand again for elections (or, probably more accurately, the decision of those around him to have him stand for elections) is being widely rejected by these protesters. Also fueling the protests is Algeria's languishing economy and a looming fiscal crisis, propelled by falling prices of oil and natural gas.

On the line with me to discuss this unfolding situation i…