ALGERIAN PATRIOTS - ENGLISH

There is a scene that repeats itself, in one form or another, in almost every Algerian household: an Algerian doctor whose diagnosis is questioned until it is confirmed by a French colleague; a local engineer whose recommendations are dismissed until a foreign expert rephrases them in another language; a national product viewed with suspicion until an imported brand name is attached to it. This scene is not an isolated incident, but rather a recurring symptom of a civilizational pathology that Malek Bennabi described with remarkable precision more than half a century ago: colonizability . The true value of this concept lies not in its accusatory nature, but in its diagnostic function. Bennabi did not write to absolve the colonizer; he raised a far more disturbing question: Why does colonialism find fertile ground in which to expand? According to him, the answer lies not only in the artillery of the conqueror, but also in a weakness embedded within the very consciousness of the coloniz...

The official visit that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to make to Algeria on July 20 represents a major diplomatic event. More than a routine bilateral meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the visit appears to mark the culmination of a gradual reconciliation process between two countries that have experienced one of the deepest crises in their modern relations. A Crisis Triggered by Spain's Shift on Western Sahara To understand the significance of this visit, it is necessary to revisit the origins of the diplomatic crisis that erupted between Algiers and Madrid in 2022. For decades, Spain had maintained a relatively balanced position regarding the Western Sahara dispute, an issue of particular importance to Algeria. This long-standing policy changed dramatically when Pedro Sánchez's government publicly endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan as the basis for resolving the conflict. From Algeria's perspective, the move represented a departure from the ...

The assault of a 14-year-old Algerian teenager in a fan zone in the United States should not be dismissed as a mere isolated incident. It is a particularly serious warning sign. The fact that a child could be targeted because of a football jersey is a reality that should outrage anyone committed to the values of respect and human dignity. For several years, social media has become the stage for a troubling radicalization of public discourse. Insults, smear campaigns, constant provocations, and calls for confrontation have gradually normalized a hostility that should never have left the virtual sphere. Today, the danger is that this verbal violence may evolve into real-world violence. Most alarming is the fact that the first victims of this toxic climate are often the youngest members of society. An entire generation is growing up under the influence of content that divides rather than unites, that fuels resentment instead of encouraging dialogue. When a teenager attends a sporting even...

In an article entitled “How Much Longer Will Algerian Historians Continue to Ride the Myths of False History?” , published on a Moroccan website, Bernard Lugan revisits a long-standing thesis of his own, advancing a revisionist reading of Algerian history that questions the historical continuity of the Central Maghreb and minimizes the political and cultural realities that predated French rule. This approach is revealing in itself. Rather than engaging with sources, archives, historical evidence, and continuity, Lugan prefers to shift the discussion onto psychological and ideological terrain. The issue is no longer the validity of an argument, but the supposed motives of the person advancing it. Such a method may be convenient in polemics, but it remains intellectually weak, as it avoids the central question: does Algeria possess a historical depth that predates French colonization? A Logic of Erasure Rather Than Inquiry The fundamental problem is that, in order to argue that Algeria i...

Just hours before the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA could have simply focused on football. It could have highlighted the game, the national teams, the fans, and the universality of a global event meant to unite people beyond political divides. But the institution led by Gianni Infantino once again chose to remind us that its supposed neutrality is not a guiding principle—it is a variable instrument. The decision to grant a symbolic accreditation to French journalist Christophe Gleizes, currently detained in Algeria, was hailed by Reporters Without Borders as a “strong gesture” of support. According to several media outlets, FIFA issued him accreditation to cover the entire 2026 World Cup—hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19—even though he remains incarcerated in Algeria following a conviction for “apology of terrorism,” reportedly linked to alleged contacts with members of the MAK, an organization classified as terrorist by Algerian authorities...

In France’s official messaging, one idea keeps resurfacing: relations with Algeria are “meant” to improve, driven by shared history and deep human and economic interdependence. Yet each time this narrative meets reality, the same hard political truth emerges: a genuine strategic reconciliation cannot be built while policies continue that Algeria interprets as a direct blow to its vital interests . Two files, in particular, function as both catalysts and sincerity tests: Western Sahara and colonial memory . This gap is not only visible in major decisions, but also in how political time is managed: Paris signals de-escalation while maintaining structural fault lines. As a result, questioning France’s real intentions is not an emotional reflex—it is a matter of strategic consistency between words and deeds. 1) Western Sahara: When Alliance Architecture Undermines Any Announced “Rapprochement” In the summer of 2024, French diplomacy took a decisive turn by asserting that the “present and ...