Algerian strategy in the issues of peace and security in Africa

The Journal of North African Studies, 2018

The strategic guidelines directing Algerian foreign policy are still dominated by normative principles inherited from the early years of the national independence war, which have underpinned the construction of the regime's legitimacy. This doctrinal position has been shaken up by new security threats coming from neighbouring countries. This article analyses the evolution of Algerian foreign policy since 2011, identifying the main constraints and obstacles that limit its ability to adapt to the new sub-regional context marked by the disintegration of the neighbouring states of Mali and Libya. Libya is in the midst of a massive security vacuum brought on by the absence of a central authority and a collapsing defence system. In Mali, in spite of the 2015 peace agreement designed to end the military and political crisis, the north is still facing high levels of violence and insecurity. This deteriorating regional security situation entails new challenges and dilemmas that are pushing Algeria to reconsider the normative foundations that have guided its foreign policy since independence, namely the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of another state, respect for state sovereignty and support for anticolonial and revolutionary movements. Furthermore, these security concerns are also closely connected with Algeria's domestic stability in terms of both state and regime security. The article addresses the following questions: How do these intertwined internal and external factors affect Algerian foreign policy? What are the main constraints that impede the emergence of a new strategic orientation to better respond to the challenges coming from Libya and Mali?

Academia Letters, 2021

Africa Security Briefs, 2012

Efforts to counter al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM) growing influence in both the Maghreb and the Sahel are fragmented because of the inability of neighbors to forge collaborative partnerships. ◆ Algeria faces inverse incentives to combat AQIM outside of Algiers as it gains much of its geostrategic leverage by maintaining overstated perceptions of a serious terrorism threat. ◆ The Algerian government's limited legitimacy, primarily derived from its ability to deliver stability, constrains a more comprehensive regional strategy.

2021

— Since its independence, Algeria has always struggled for an international order that defends: the respect of sovereignty of States and their right to self-determination, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, non-interventionism, whether military or humanitarian. The present article is made with the aim of shedding light on the foreign policy of Algeria and its evolution in a context of regional upheavals. The analysis presented reflects only the author's point of view. This article focuses on the following axes: • The doctrinal principles of Algerian foreign policy and its historical context; • The Mediterranean dimension in the Algerian Foreign Policy such as: Algeria's relationship with the Maghreb and the European Union; • Algeria's prospects for the development of its foreign policy.

Centre of Military and Strategic Studies, 2021, 2021

Based on provisions of the new constitution released by the Algerian presidency, it will be possible for the Algerian army to act outside the country’s borders. Algeria has been under great pressure in recent years to involve its army in security and military tasks abroad, especially anti-terrorism missions in the region. Consequently, Algeria has found itself marginalized because of its refusal to let its army deploy outside its territorial borders in conformity with its non-interventionist policy. The Algerian political class and security experts are divided over this issue. The question is what prompted the thinking of changing the doctrine of the Algerian army? Why has it been expressly provided for in the new constitution? Is this the end of Algeria’s sacrosanct principle of military non-interference? Algeria appears to be trying, within a new regional landscape characterized by threats at the border, to relocate by deviating from its well-established principle of non-interference and preparing to become a relevant actor in managing multiple crises in the neighborhood.

Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research, 2019

Amidst political upheaval and deliberations on future geopolitical assessments, the role of Algerian military leadership will most likely shape the future direction of the country.