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Western Sahara: France's major strategic error in the face of a vital Algerian interest and Moroccan expansionist ambitions

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Western Sahara: Resolution 2797, the Autonomy Illusion, and the Reality of Sovereignty

Since the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 , the Western Sahara file has entered a new phase—one marked less by legal progress than by an intensified battle of narratives. Morocco, supported by certain Western diplomatic circles, has sought to portray its autonomy plan as a definitive, irreversible solution endowed with international legitimacy. Yet a careful reading of the resolution, combined with a strict application of international law , reveals a far more sobering reality: the conflict remains legally unresolved, and Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has never been established.   Official and unofficial accounts of the Madrid talks converge on a fundamental point often obscured by Moroccan discourse: the United States failed to impose the autonomy plan as the sole outcome of the negotiations. The Sahrawi side , backed by Algeria, maintained a firm and principled stance centered on the right to self-determination as the cornerstone of any ...

The Figuig Dam: A Blatant Violation of International Water Law and a Deliberate Act of Water Warfare Against Algeria

Morocco’s decision to construct one of its largest strategic dams in Figuig , only a few kilometers from the Algerian border, is neither accidental nor driven by purely domestic development considerations. It is a calculated and hostile political act, aimed at establishing unilateral control over shared transboundary water resources , in flagrant disregard of international law and the most basic principles of good-neighborly relations. The so-called “Khenk Kro” Dam, with a storage capacity exceeding one billion cubic meters and an estimated cost of approximately 120 million US dollars, is officially presented by Rabat as a cornerstone of its “water security strategy.” In reality, it constitutes a direct threat to Algeria’s water, environmental, agricultural, and human security, particularly in the region of Béni Ounif, as well as Béchar and the wider south-western Algerian territories. From a legal standpoint, this project represents a serious breach of international norms governing s...

Madrid, February 2026: A negotiating sequence that further complicates Rabat’s hand

The consultations held in Madrid on the Western Sahara dossier—under direct U.S. stewardship—signal a qualitative shift in how the file is being managed: Washington is increasingly setting the pace while the United Nations recedes to an observer role, according to convergent coverage from Spanish, regional, and international outlets.  1) An unprecedented framework: Washington “leads,” the UN observes Multiple reputable outlets report that on February 8, 2026 , a closed‑door meeting took place inside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, gathering four high‑level delegations—Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front—with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura present more as an observer than as the driver, while U.S. officials Massad Boulos (special representative for Africa) and Michael Waltz (U.S. ambassador to the UN) ran point. The Madrid session followed a first, secret 48‑hour contact in Washington roughly two weeks earlier—an unmistakable sign that the U.S. has moved from “facilitator...

Between Sanctions and Strategic Realities: Algeria as a Pivotal U.S. Partner amid Russia’s Airpower Turn

At first glance, the renewed discussion surrounding potential U.S. sanctions against Algeria —triggered by reports of advanced Russian arms acquisitions—may suggest an approaching strategic rift between Algiers and Washington. A calm and rigorous reading, however, leads to a very different conclusion: the United States has neither the interest nor the strategic logic to destabilize Algeria, a cornerstone of North African security, a key stabilizing force in the Sahel , and a long-standing partner in counter-terrorism efforts. It is within this broader strategic framework that recent developments concerning the Su-57 in Algeria and the export “rebound” of the Su-35 must be assessed—beyond headlines, through images, open-source intelligence, and the carefully calibrated messaging of major powers. U.S. Sanctions: A Political Lever, Not a Strategy of Rupture The CAATSA framework , routinely invoked whenever Russian arms deals are mentioned, functions primarily as a political deterrent to...

Ksar Ich after El Arja and Oued Zelmou: when an unfinished boundary demarcation intersects with the fight against trafficking along the Algerian-Moroccan border

Beyond the silent palm groves and the wadis with contested names, the Algerian-Moroccan border remains one of the places where history, law, and security intersect with the greatest intensity. Ksar Ich , following El Arja and Oued Zelmou , is not an accident: it is a symptom. A symptom of a line inherited and legally recognized, yet materially incomplete; and also of a discreet but constant front against cross-border trafficking that undermines sovereignty and threatens regional stability. A Border Episode Laden with Symbolism The events reported in early February 2026 in the Ksar Ich sector, on the edge of Figuig , immediately stirred collective memory. Placement of markers, removal of fences, nocturnal aerial shots—the sequence, primarily reported by Moroccan media, was described as a “provocation.” On the Algerian side, there were no loud political statements, no verbal escalations. Only a constant: the securing of the national border amidst heightened criminal pressures. It is im...

Mohammed VI – The Mystery: Anatomy of an Opaque Reign

In Mohammed VI – The Mystery , Thierry Oberlé conducts a dense and perceptive investigation into one of the most enigmatic monarchs of the contemporary world. Through thirty years of observations, interviews, and on‑the‑ground reporting, the journalist reveals a paradoxical figure: a king who appears modern, yet remains the heir to an absolute power shaped by centuries of Sharifian monarchy. The book is at once an intimate portrait, a political deep dive, and a narrative of Morocco’s ambiguous transformation. A discreet, elusive, yet omnipresent sovereign Mohammed VI is a mysterious king, nearly silent in the media. He gives no interviews, never improvises, and keeps his distance from political debates. His authority rests more on sacredness, monarchical symbolism, religious heritage, and the staging of power than on public expression. The book describes a monarch uncomfortable with the day‑to‑day exercise of power, preferring to delegate to historical advisers (El Himma, Majidi, Manso...