Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika suffered what his government is describing as a mini-stroke Saturday. In power since 1999, Bouteflika has overseen his country's emergence out of civil war to achieving status as a leading regional player, and its transition from being seen in the West as a human rights pariah to a vital partner in the fight against regional jihadists. While personalities often matter little within the global geopolitical framework, it is difficult to overlook Bouteflika's influence in Algeria's re-emergence as a pivotal player in the Mediterranean, African and Middle Eastern geopolitical arenas. Bouteflika is one of the few surviving members of the cohort of revolutionaries that guided Algeria following its independence from France in 1962. Foreshadowing his future role as the president who would help shepherd Algeria out of a civil war, Bouteflika rose through Algeria's political ranks after the revolutionary war ended.