Changing the Playing Field

WikiLeaks confirms, without providing anything new, what everyone thinks about the situation between Algeria and Morocco. This situation is, in varying degrees, in favor of French interests as much as those of the United States — otherwise, the Sahrawi tragedy would not have lasted all this time. Algeria is the first aim, it’s obvious. It must have a deep and permanent understanding of this, and act accordingly. The Western Sahara is its Achilles’ heel. If, since Giscard, France has decided to support the Moroccans — diplomatically, at least — the U.S. will have to be more subtle about leaving them to rot. First of all, Algeria is strategic: it’s about fighting back by focusing on the simmering crisis with its neighbor to the point of exhaustion. For Americans, Algeria is “important,” but not of strategic importance: hence their subtlety. What is Algeria? After Boumediene, who was ready to do battle with Morocco, and Chadli — who attempted to shift the balance of diplomatic strength to his advantage by aligning himself with Mitterrand, and who will pay dearly for it — Bouteflika shows up with other ideas.

Geographically isolate the enemy by closing the borders, negotiate with France about the political question of its support for the monarchy, in particular through economic and political pressures, trap the two sides in the Western Sahara in a head-to-head that Algeria does not take part in. …This step is accompanied by other actions, especially seductive ones, towards the Americans. The result is a France forced on the defensive concerning the issue, an America that is more timid than ever, and a Morocco at bay that wants to believe in war. But is it enough? How far can Algeria go to resolve this crisis while maintaining a degree of independence from its “predators”? The ideal would have been the standardization of relations with Morocco, but the current king, confronted by his people, did not see it that way. Continuing this showdown without being disturbed by the current Moroccan drama or being lured into other traps requires our politicians to have an accurate vision of the future on the domestic level — the two neighboring countries – and on a broader level, both economically and geopolitically. That is to say, how long can the French and the Americans live with the current status quo?

International relations are an expression of power relations. Bouteflika knows this better than anyone else. “It’s the Moroccans who created this problem, the occupation of the Sahara by force,” he said in a note to WikiLeaks. “It’s up to them to find a solution.” But ultimately it’s up to Algeria to do everything to help the situation, because it is in Morocco’s best interest to fix the problem. And for that, there is only one solution: change the playing field as much as possible. The interests of France in the region, as well as those of America, must be gradually reflected in standardization and not in tension. It’s easier said than done, but there is already a beginning in Bouteflika’s policy. All that remains is to continue in that direction.