[F]rom the beginning most Algerians believed Arabization to be inherently tied to Islamization and, inferentially, francophony to be tied to secularization.

Algerians have generally regarded the central state itself as suspect, realizing quickly after independence that the party elite had merely stepped into the positions of power left vacant by colonial officials.

The severity of Algeria's internal discord makes leaders in that country more prone to try radical measures.

[I]n the case of Algeria, [...] the upper classes tend to extend their class distinction to the issue of language. In other words, having French-educated backgrounds, these classes use the French language in the educational system as a means of enhancing their dominant positions.

In Algeria, the official Arab-Islamic formulation of national identity has arguably been, in some respects, the most obviously artificial and imposed of all Arab nationalist rhetorics.

Guilt-ridden Algerians wonder about the legitimacy of [Algeria's multilingual] legacy. They ask themselves: Is it a feature of a thriving society or of an alienated one? Should they continue to use all their languages? Might they lose themselves, or rather, find themselves, in so doing?

Powerful groups endeavor to enforce conformity to their language, and resistance culminates in struggle and war.