A Meddling Qatar
Algeria’s
Secular Opposition Accuses Gulf Nations of Sponsoring Islamist
Parties
Although
the rise of Islamist parties in North Africa is not surprising,
it still begs the question as to who finances these conservative
political movements. While spared from the kind of uprisings
seen in many Arab nations, Algeria is at the center of political
contests and the role of Islamists is closely watched and
their sources of funding questioned..[Photo:
From left to right Libya's Abduljalil, Algeria's Bouteflika,
and Qatar's Al-Thani].
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A
Meddling Qatar:
Qatar Lobbying North African Immigrants
in France
Civil
Liberties
Despite
the Promises of the Revolutions, Civil Liberties and Rights
in North Africa are Regressing
The
"revolutionaries" and civil liberties advocates
in North Africa have a long way to go despite the enormous
sacrifices already made as their revolutions unfolded. In
some cases even, the justice systems of Maghreb nations
have moved backward under the control of conservative politicians.
Ironically, some of the most liberal nations of the Arab
world, including Tunisia and Morocco have decided to crack
down on the basic rights of their citizens under the pressure
of religious extremists and ultra-nationalist lobby groups
who gained power on the backs of pro-democracy activists.
Two cases illustrate the kind of unacceptable behavior promoted
by these nations’ justice systems. Continue
here
Economy
Debt
Crisis in the Moroccan Subsidy System: Undesirable Gift
for Islamist PM
There
is a bumpy road ahead for the new government leader in Rabat.
As he enters his offices, energized by a fresh electoral
victory with the prospect of governing a nation, Prime Minister
Entrance has to deal with the country’s finances,
and what he sees does not please him. The numbers in the
book look unsettling and could force him to either make
unpopular decisions to control spending or maintain a an
unsustainable status quo. It turns out, the government’s
debt on its payments to cover the nation’s subsidies
of energy products reached an unprecedented heights, worsening
the State’s global debt level. While in the past a
ceiling of MAD 6 billion would have triggered crisis mode
and a government reaction of sort, this time the unpaid
government bill has topped MAD 20 billion accumulated in
less than five months. The situation is not getting better.
Every month, the bill increases by MAD 4 billion.
Continue
here.
North Africa's Other Food Crisis
Algeria
Food Import Bill Reaches Unprecedented Heights: Dysfunctional
Agriculture Policy
In
a country that has the ability to grow its own food and
export it to foreign markets, it comes as a surprise that
one quarter of its global import bill was spent on food
in 2011. As the country’s leadership fails to acknowledge
its inability to create the right agricultural policies,
the nation is forced to spend billions on importing some
of the most basic necessities. Just for four basic commodities,
cereals, cooking oil, sugar and powder milk, Algeria wasted
a stunning $10 billion last year. Most, if not all of these
products happen to be subsidized on the domestic market,
meaning consumers don’t pay full price. Subsidies
may be prudent policy considering the Algerian government
needs to avoid any public backlash as the rumblings of Arab
revolutions are being felt but why not stimulate domestic
production to reduce cost and improve food security? Ironically,
while the nation’s food import bill soared by 60%
in 2011 compared to 2010, its agricultural output rose by
a mere 10% the same period . Continue
here.
Bad
Weather Cripples Morocco’s Cereal Production:
Government Braces for Massive Imports and Aid to Farmers
This
year, weather conditions in Morocco do no bode well for
the nation’s agriculture and the economy. In the past
3 months, there has been very limited rainfall over a period
many consider as an exceptional drought season. As a result,
Analysts are warning of the worst with anticipated cereal
production to fall drastically. Warned, the Moroccan government
is preparing to dig deeper in its coffers to import vast
amounts of cereal and that is making cereal traders happy
about the prospect of doing business with Morocco. The government
is also planning to spend on helping farmers cope with the
crisis. Continue
here.
Betting
on the Wrong Horse:
China and Russia Struggling to Deal with the New Libya
It
is becoming increasingly evident that China and Russia have
bet on the wrong horse when they sided with Muamar Gaddafi
as other UN members sought to condemn him over the killings
of his own people. Interpreting China’s Minister of
Commerce statements suggests that Chinese companies in Libya
are unwanted and will find it impossible to do business
there for the time being. The Russians too are not so welcomed
in Benghazi or Tripoli. Continue
here.
Wild West Africa
Mali:
The Toppling of a Corrupt and Incompetent President in a
Troubled Nation
The
West African nation of Mali is in the news again. And as
in the past, the news is not good. In late March, a group
of low-level army officers, headed by US-trained Captain
Amadou Sanogo, overthrew the regime of Amadou Toumani Touré.
They then struggled to keep the nation under control, and
promised to return power to a civilian administration. All
that happened while the Touaregs manage to take control
of key cities in the north of the country. This mess is
yet another indication that Sahel nations, including Niger,
Mauritania, Chad, and further east into the Sudan, etc are
simply failed states where economic bankruptcy, political
chaos, and a state of lawlessness have made the region a
natural landscape for crises to emerge and flourish.
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Despite
Promise of Return to Civilian Administration, Mali Soldiers
Arrest Government Figures
Food
Crisis in Niger
Chaos
in Guinea-Bissau
New Leadership at Sonatrach
Sonatrach’s
New CEO: The Challenging Tasks of Restoring Confidence and
Building Algeria’s Energy Sector
Sonatrach,
the Algerian state-owned oil and gas company has seen its
share of troubles. Since 2000, a series of corruption scandals
shattered the company’s image. Severe corruption cases
became every day events in the company that has been the
primary source of Algeria’s wealth for more than four
decades. With a brand new CEO appointed on November 14,
2011, the company is now trying to reinvent itself and fix
its image. The new boss, Abdelhamid Zerguine wants to focus
his attention on restructuring the company, starting with
fresh efforts to boost the moral of a stressed workforce.
For many key Sonatrach employees, including some of the
best engineers and executives, the past two years have been
nothing but a recurring nightmare. So much so that in two
years the company hired and fired three CEOs. But despite
his good intentions, the question remains whether Zerguine
can get enough autonomy from the government, which owns
the company, to bring it back from the abyss? The company
after all is overseen by the powerful energy ministry, whose
minister typically has his own ideas...
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