North Africa
The Jihadists in Africa's Sahel Zone: Expect More of the Same Despite Cleanup in Mali
The North Africa Journal | By Arezki Daoud | Many observers of the military intervention in Mali are praising the Franco-African troops for what they already consider a guaranteed victory. Although a military win is assured given the superiority of the French army, it may be more difficult to ascertain, that as a result, the Jihadists are defeated. Indeed, as we look at the months ahead and beyond, the possibility of a conflict spillover is the most likely scenario. If such scenario does not happen, then we can salute this intervention in Mali as a victorious one.
ArcelorMittal Site in Algeria Headed Toward Nationalization
The North Africa Journal | Steel giant ArcelorMittal may be given a lifeline and a gift of sort by the Algerian government. The company is reported to be wanting the Algerian government to acquire an additional 21% stake in its Annaba unit, northeast Algeria for $200 million. ...
The Political Angle of a Stalled Moroccan Economy
The North Africa Journal | Skeptics of the Islamist PJD party’s role and position in government and its political enemies are rejoicing to the news that a little more than a year after taking the Prime Minister’s office no progress was delivered to the Moroccan people. As we pointed out in the early stages of the PJD’s control of the Primiership, PM Abdelilah Benkirane has inherited a disastrous economy to begin with and was likely to fail, risking to erode the image and credibility of his party, in particular among the working class and the disenchanted. ...
Podcast: Understanding the Crisis in Mali
The North Africa Journal | As predicted, it is now war in Mali and the death toll among the rebels keeps rising. However, the root causes of this crisis are complex and there is a substantial risk of a protracted conflict considering that the major issues will not be solved with a military action only. In this audiocast, Arezki Daoud shares an analysis of this conflict, in a podcast released prior to the French intervention. Click below to listen....
Mali Crisis Expanding: Mass Kidnapping of Westerners in a Saharan Oil Base
The North Africa Journal: The French military intervention against Islamist militants in northern Mali has added greatly to the insecurity in the region. In addition to the casualties of the conflict proper, Western interests, in particular French are being targeted wherever Al-Qaeda affiliated militants are present. ...Opinion: Moroccans Would Like to See Economic Growth Not a Religious Discourse
The North Africa Journal | In this oped, political Analyst Said Temsamani highlights the need for Morocco to focus on economic growth and move away from the religious narrative affecting political life. ...
How to Secure the Sahel
By Arezki Daoud, The North Africa Journal | Thursday night, the northern Mali region of Kidal witnessed the first wave of serious clashes between the Touaregs and so-called Islamist group Ansar Dine, a group under the influence of Al-Qaeda. The event is critically important in that it confirms that the two groups, the Touaregs organized under the independence movement of the MNLA and the Al-Qaeda operatives in the region (Ansar Dine) have different agendas. As their key leaders have often stated, the Touaregs have not pledged allegiance to foreign Jihadist influences and will not do any time soon. That in itself is not only encouraging, but a major opportunity for those fighting the Jihadists and seeking to root them out. A fresh approach to the Sahel is needed and without an active participation of the Touaregs, the Sahel will remain a dangerous zone. Here’s why....
Election Fever in Egypt
By VOANews: Millions of Egyptians stood in long lines Wednesday to cast ballots in the first presidential election since President Hosni Mubarak resigned last year amid massive protests. ...
Legislative Elections: Algeria Takes Three Steps Backward
The North Africa Journal | The expression “the People Have Chosen” does not apply to Algeria’s legislative elections held last week. And judging by the winners, it’s going to be business as usual for the incoming rubber-stamping assembly....
Algeria vs. Morocco: And the Tit-for-Tat Goes On
The North Africa Journal | Moroccans and Algerians love to hate each other. I am not talking about the people, who are exactly the same in identity, ethnicity, religion and customs and have only respect for one another, but about their governments and leaders, who continue to feud and refuse to face up to the geo-strategic realities of the region today. ...
Libya: Not out of the Woods Yet
The North Africa Journal | Libya is not out of the woods yet. And for those who think solutions to its multi-faceted crises are near, they should reconsider their views very carefully. It is certain that for a few multinational companies, the time is right to re-engage. With a country that has so much oil and gas, the time is always right to engage. ...
North Africa: A Fast Evolving Landscape
We felt rather guilty for releasing to you an 80+ page issue. For a moment we thought we should split it into two installments, but here’s the problem: North Africa is a never ending source of critical matters at this very important junction of its history. The news and fast developing stories keep on pouring at such a speed that they inevitably require large amounts of reporting. ...
Algeria: The Difficult Birth of a Moderate Islamist Political Coalition
While Islamists in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt have made inroads in the area of governance, and are currently being tested, their Algerian counterparts still remain largely in the opposition. Energized by the outcome of the various elections in the region, Algeria’s various legal Islamist parties seem to be working to coordinate a common approach. But a closer look at their position reveals that they are in competition against one another for leadership as Algerians get closer to their May 2012 election season....
Algerians and Moroccans Use Cyber Attacks to Settle their Political Feuds
The North Africa Journal | In the evening of November 8, 2011, nearly 200 Moroccan companies and other institutions were the targets of cyber attacks. The exact figure was not confirmed but the event led to the defacing of corporate and institutional websites, making them virtually useless for a short while. What was interesting in this wave of websites defacing was the widespread sentiment that the authors of the attacks were from Algeria. What’s also interesting was the fact that Algerian sites were also the targets of attacks earlier, in the morning of Tuesday and so the cyber attacks against Morocco were of a retaliatory nature. Among the Algerian institutions that faced a cyber attack early Tuesday was the Algerian Tax Department (Direction Générale des Impôts or DGI)....
Morocco Spends More on Subsidies to Ease Public Opinion on the Political Front
The North Africa Journal | The Moroccans have had their quiet revolution. No drama like Tunisia or Libya, but the regime and the monarchy have taken notice. With public anger boiling at some point over the issue of democracy, Morocco had its near-miss moment. With a clever announcement of changes in the constitution, largely of cosmetic nature, King Mohammed VI swiftly aborted a potential catastrophe, avoiding the sort of fate that the former leaders of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and now Syria have met....
French-Algerian Relations: The Weight of History
By Dr. Yahia H. Zoubir | In 1974, Algeria’s President Houari Boumediene declared that, “Relations between France and Algeria may be good or bad, but in no way can they be trivial.” Twenty-six years later, in 2000, his long-time foreign minister and now Algeria’s President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1999-present) declared that, “Algeria seeks to have extraordinary, non trivial, not normal, [but] exemplary and exceptional relations with France.” Yet, despite this willingness to turn the page, which, as Boumediene suggested, “cannot be torn up,” relations have often been marred with misunderstandings, conflicts, mutual suspicions and mistrust. ...
With an Islamist Electoral Victory, Morocco Forced to Adopt Political Cohabitation
The North Africa Journal | With less than half the eligible voters going into the voting booths on Friday, the Moroccans woke up on Saturday with the news that the Islamists of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) were bracing to form a coaltion government. ...
Is Egypt's Military Kneeling Under Public Pressure?
The North Africa Journal | After the bloody crackdown of the past days leading to dozens of deaths on the civilian side, the Egyptian military rulers say they will seek a political exit to the crisis. Although the military's public statements are still considered by protesters as insufficient, the Egyptian second uprising is clearly putting enormous pressure on the Junta....