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Unions Pressure Belgian Government to Allow Arms Export to Libya

This is rather ironic that a labor union would be used to pressure a government to give a company license to export arms.
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[North Africa] Globalization and Libya's Invesments: Not Always a Safe Bet

Briefs: Libya may be wanting to reintegrate the global community, but it needs to watch out for the mine fields out there....
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[North Africa] Emirates Telecommunications Has Funds for Meditel Buyout

Emirates Telecommunications (Etisalat) recently announced that it has enough funds to acquire Morocco's second-largest carrier Meditel, citing bankers close to the deal. Other bidders include companies like Oger Telecom, controlled by the Saudi Oger Group, Qatar Telecommunications (Qtel). According to Reuters, confirmed bids are due by September 14. A decision should be known at the end of September. ...
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[North Africa] No Smoking Gun in the Megrahi Release, But Big Projects in Libya Await British Companies

Despite arguments that the release of Al Megrahi was not motivated by economic gains, it is hard to believe that UK companies may not fully benefit from it, even if there is no paper trail on a deal between the UK and Libya. Ask British executive working in Libya and you will find an interesting consensus. British businesses have themselves made public statements that the release has removed “the last remaining obstacle to the Libyan market opening up to British firms,” according to a British construction industry publication (Building). ...
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[North Africa] Global Economic Contraction and Impact on Morocco: The Good and the Bad

While many sectors of the Moroccan economy are struggling to cope with the reality of the global economic meltdown, ......
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[North Africa] Uncompetitive Moroccan Travel Industry

For millions of people, the months of April through June are travel planning period. In particular for the diasporas that is looking to go back home to North Africa during the summer season, but also for foreign tourists as well. This latter category is a critical target for the Moroccan tourism industry, which is apparently finding difficulties offering competitive prices in a highly budget-sensitive period....
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[North Africa] Inside Bouteflika's Presidential Election Resources

The North Africa Journal : As expected, Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a third presidential mandate following a campaign that was unchallenged and underwhelming. ...
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[North Africa] Avoiding Risk and Finding Opportunities on the Casablanca Stock Exchange in 2009

The North Africa Journal: The Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) started the year 2009 on a volatile path and with no clear orientation. In this context, analysts recommend investors to adopt a selective strategy offering low risk in an uncertain market. ...
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[North Africa] A Troubled Bluefin Tuna in North Africa

The stocks of bluefin tuna along the southern shores of the Mediterranean coast are quickly depleting. This is also the case in the entire Mediterranean Sea, not just the souther rim. Over fishing and capture practices that some qualify as savage hunting are all leading to the fast disappearance of tuna stocks in the region. Of a particular worry is the aggressive stance of industrial fishing fleets that do not hesitate to seek and capture tuna even in the reproductive zone of the Gulf of Syrte, offshore Libya. Because of the profitable nature of this activity, fraud and lack of transparency are paramount, while the canning industry in the region is facing its own troubles. ...
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[North Africa] Islamic Banking in the Maghreb

Islamic financial instruments continue to attract consumer attention, with the central element of being interest-free products in compliance with Islamic Sharia law. According to financial sources, the value of funds involved in Islamic banking worldwide grew by an average of 15% annually over the past three years. Some analysts estimate Islamic banking to be worth some $500 billion, with the Middle East controlling a quarter of those assets. Kuwait is reportedly the biggest contributor, accounting for almost 29% of the sector’s value in the Gulf region. It is followed by Saudi Arabia with about 27%, and the UAE with 15.2%....
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Libya and the ICC: In the Pursuit of Justice?

The North Africa Journal | By Leila Hanafi | The ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process in Libya is reigniting a crucial debate among transitional justice advocates as to the role the International Criminal Court (ICC) can play in delivering justice and redress to victims of grave crimes. In the midst of the February 2011 revolution, the ICC opened an investigation into crimes allegedly committed in Libya, based on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1970. The Court has to date issued three arrest warrants for Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, Abdullah Al-Senussi and Muammar Gaddafi. The warrant against Muammar Gaddafi was withdrawn following his death, while Al-Islam Gaddafi is currently detained in Libya and Al-Senussi in Mauritania. Neither has been turned over to the ICC. The Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) has asserted that it wishes to try these men in Libya, while France has declared its intention to purse Al-Senussi’s extradition for earlier alleged crimes. However, the ICC, along with many human rights groups nationally and internationally, question Libya’s capacity to conduct fair trials against these high profile individuals.
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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.
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France’s New President: Foreign Policy and Where North Africa Stands

The North Africa Journal | President-elect François Hollande of France has his work cut out on the foreign policy front. His predecessor is leaving office with a sense of missed achievements and a series of policies blunders that need urgent fixing. In a five-year period, Sarkozy failed to leverage appropriately and responsibly his country’s global leadership position as a major economic and military power. That started with his failure to impose a more assertive France on the burning issues of the Euro-zone and the serious topic of the future of Europe.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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Featured author
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Alessandro Bruno

Deputy Editor of The North Africa Journal Alessandro Bruno is a leading analyst of North African, Arab and international affairs. He specializes in strategic political and economic developments relating to the North African oil industry and Middle East politics. Mr. Bruno is also an analyst in the global investment banking sector for a leading international advisory group. Quoted in the press such as The Financial Times, Mr. Bruno holds a Master of Arts in Middle East Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies. He has completed course work for a PhD in Middle East Politics at the University of Toronto. Mr. Bruno brings a wealth of international experience, having lived and worked abroad in a variety of different countries. Most recently, he lived in Libya working as a Program Officer (JPO) with the United Nations Development Program. Mr. Bruno is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and French and has a working knowledge of Portuguese, Arabic and German.
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