has proven challenging as successive governments have
tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a
dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime
networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made
progress in its democratic development since first holding
multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International
observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the
restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid
schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party
and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime
and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size
of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition
of power, was considered an important step forward. Although
Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the
poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an
inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has
played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in
southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO
and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a
strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.

Algeria
After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians
fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962.
Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front
(FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the
subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to
counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising
first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the
December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and
postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular
elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming
power. The army began a crack down on the FIS that spurred FIS
supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government
later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate
religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who
progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an
insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which
resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate