Book excerpt: Algeria is a country rich in history and situated in a strategically important region. While its past has at times been turbulent, the last decade has been one of relative peace. Economic growth and development has followed, driven primarily by advances in the hydrocarbons sector. The fall in the international price of oil since mid-2014, however, is having a substantial economic impact, in particular on the country’s trade balance and government finances. On the positive side though, the drop in prices is accelerating efforts to further diversify the economy, pushing the government to open up the country to greater private and foreign investment in order to provide alternatives to state spending, in part through measures to render the rigid investment environment more attractive.