Why is Algeria still Poor?

Why is Algeria not as rich as Saudi Arabia or Dubai, despite also having huge amounts of oil and gas? Why is it that the Algerian economy is only about at the same per capita level as Morocco, despite having similar physical and historical attributes + a wealth of oil and gas? We made this short documentary about their economic history, because Algeria was under covered on youtube (in languages other than French). Even news articles talk about the "poor choices" their government has made.

In many ways, we really think Algeria is underachieving its potential. This video is meant to investigate the pitfalls and be aware of some of the dangers of developing a heavily fossil fuel dependent economy for long-term sustainability, even if the numbers look okay on the surface.

We wish all the best for the people of Algeria.

Thanks for watching!