What does the resignation on April 2, 2019, of Algerian Pres. Abdelaziz Bouteflika mean for the future of his country and the region, and why was the Algerian military so unprepared for the event? After all, Pres. Boutefilika was 82 years old, was gravely impaired by the effects of a stroke in 2013, and was clearly not engaged in day-to-day decisionmaking even as he prepared to run for a fifth term of the Presidency. He was replaced, as Acting or Interim President, by the President of the upper chamber of Parliament, al-Majlis al-Umma/Conseil de la Nation (National Council), Abdelkader Bensalah, a close confidante of Pres. Bouteflika, until elections could be called within 90 days. But the street protests — originally against Pres. Bouteflika running for a fifth term — appeared unlikely to evaporate unless substantive moves could be made to the system which has concentrated power in the hands […]