ALGERIAN PATRIOTS - ENGLISH

A country that shed its blood for Palestine now finds itself attacked by those who once betrayed it. Algeria has never reduced the Palestinian cause to an empty slogan or a tool for political one-upmanship. Its commitment has never been symbolic: it is rooted in its history, flows through its diplomacy, and is inscribed in the sacrifice of its sons. Before anyone questions the coherence of Algeria’s position, one truth must be recalled—a truth too often ignored: Algeria took part in every Arab-Israeli war, sending its soldiers and aircraft to the Middle Eastern fronts. In 1973, it went even further: it financed the October War with its own funds, offering Moscow a blank check to equip the Egyptian army. And in November 1988, Algiers hosted the proclamation of the State of Palestine, a founding act that placed our country in the crosshairs of powers and networks whose maneuvers fueled the tragedies of the Black Decade. No other Arab country has paid such a heavy price for defending, un...

Ahmed Rissouni, former president of what is called “The International Union of Muslim Scholars” , returns once again to his favorite exercise: stoking discord, legitimizing confrontation, and distributing certificates of “national purity” according to the needs of the Moroccan palace. The man who once called for a “holy war” against Algeria and a “march on Tindouf” now appears under a new guise—but with an even more dangerous discourse, saturated with insinuations and falsehoods designed to inflame an entire region. In a lengthy article, he proclaims that the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has been “definitively buried” by a decision of the UN Security Council—as if the United Nations had suddenly renounced the principle of self-determination. Rissouni forgets—or pretends to forget—that the UN has never recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, and that the conflict remains officially listed as a decolonization issue. This is not analysis; it is propaganda disguised as...

When Historical Ignorance Becomes a Geopolitical Weapon Tahar Ben Jelloun’s recent intervention in Le Figaro purports to offer a literary testimony; in reality, it is a discursive strategy meticulously aligned with the geopolitical imperatives of the makhzen . By exploiting the singular case of Boualem Sansal, Ben Jelloun claims to shed light on Algeria’s political history; yet what he truly reveals is this: the unwavering determination of the Moroccan literary lobby to instrumentalize memory and literature in order to weaken Algeria and serve the interests of the royal palace. This analysis is framed within a perspective that asserts Algeria’s national sovereignty—both historical and contemporary—and categorically rejects the Moroccan and Franco-colonial narratives that Ben Jelloun reproduces without nuance. 1. A Voice Undermined by Silence on Moroccan Repression Let us state the obvious: Tahar Ben Jelloun is not a neutral observer of the Maghreb. While Algeria stood alone again...

The announcement of a presidential pardon for Boualem Sansal has stirred surprise, debate, and indignation across Algeria. The Franco-Algerian writer, sentenced to five years in prison for statements deemed harmful to national unity, will be transferred to Germany for medical treatment at the express request of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. While the gesture appears rooted in humanitarian considerations, it in fact unveils a complex diplomatic web where principles of sovereignty, European power balances, and political calculations intersect. A Humanitarian Gesture with Multiple Diplomatic Readings Officially, the presidential decision is framed as a “humanitarian” response to a German request. Boualem Sansal, elderly and in poor health, would thus benefit from a medical transfer in a spirit of clemency and openness. Yet seasoned observers know that behind this façade lies a far subtler game of influence. For months, Paris had sought Sansal’s release, multiplying diplomatic and ...

In recent months, Moroccan media outlets and circles close to the Makhzen have multiplied claims suggesting that Morocco harbors an alleged intention to “occupy” the Algerian cities of Béchar and Tindouf — as if these regions were disputed territories. No Moroccan official has ever made such a statement, yet Rabat insists on nurturing this illusion. How can one explain these recurring provocations, especially when the military, diplomatic, and historical balance of power clearly favors Algeria? To understand this phenomenon, one must analyze it through historical, psychological, and geopolitical lenses. 1. A Historical Complex Rooted in Defeat and Rivalry Tension between Algeria and Morocco has deep roots that go back to the post-independence era. The Moroccan monarchy believed that an independent Algeria would remain “grateful” to Rabat for its alleged support during the war of liberation. Instead, it witnessed the emergence of a sovereign, revolutionary Algeria, proudly asserting its...

For several years, the Kingdom of Morocco has pursued a deliberate policy of provocation and hostility toward Algeria — a policy that extends far beyond rhetoric into tangible acts affecting Algeria’s water, environment, and social fabric. While Rabat sheds crocodile tears over the suspension of the Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline, it has in fact been waging a silent war against Algeria through water deprivation, environmental pollution, and the export of narcotics — forming a coherent strategy aimed at undermining Algeria’s national security and stability. 1. Dams on the Border — A Deliberate Water War Along the western border, Morocco has built dozens of dams on rivers and streams that flow naturally into Algerian territory. These constructions, undertaken without coordination or bilateral agreements, have caused an environmental disaster in the Béchar region. The reduced flow of the Guir River has directly threatened the Djorf Torba Dam, one of Algeria’s most vital reservoirs in the sou...

In its recent PolicyWatch, the Washington Institute presents the enticing prospect of a sixty-day “peace deal,” elevating the Western Sahara file as the sole key to regional de-escalation . Such a vision, while rhetorically appealing, reflects a shallow understanding of Maghrebi realities. It confuses rivalry with war — though Algiers and Rabat are not at war — and reduces a structural, decades-long antagonism that predates 1975 to a single issue: Western Sahara. Even the note itself concedes that bilateral relations are at a “historic low” without being warlike, which makes the sixty-day ultimatum more of a performative gesture than a viable diplomatic timetable. A State Rivalry Rooted in Memory, Borders, and Security From Algeria’s standpoint, the American “diplomatic clock” ignores the historical underpinnings of the dispute: the Sand War (1963–64), the colonial legacy of unclarified borders, successive cycles of tension and freeze — including the land border closure since 1994 — an...