By 1990, as the state-controlled Algerian economy careened toward the brink of bankruptcy, its government began to turn away from one-party rule and toward democracy. But after the government canceled an election that Islamist parties were poised to win, the ensuing Islamist insurgency killed as many as 100,000 and threatened the country’s stability. As ambassador to Algeria from December 1997 to September 2000, while the government in Algiers grappled with the insurgency Cameron Hume led the U.S. effort to expand bilateral relations and encourage political and economic change in this key Arab country.

An astute observer and unusually creative diplomat, Cameron Hume provides timely insight into these dramatic developments. He recounts both progress and setbacks in U.S.-Algerian relations and the parts played by the leading Algerian and U.S. political, diplomatic, and military actors. In the process, he provides a hands-on case study of how an ambassador deals with an important bilateral relationship at a time of crisis.