Denver – A recent analysis from Algerian media appears to shed light for the first time on the country’s political fallout with the US over Morocco.
Since the appointment of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in January of this year, there have been no high-level in-person talks between the US chief diplomat and his Algerian counterpart, Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra.
During a brief phone call early last month, the two officials discussed COVID-19 solutions, the situation in the Sahel, and business investments. However, the two failed to address the obvious elephant in the room: Algeria’s deteriorating ties with Morocco.
Algeria’s closure of its airspace to Moroccan planes, tensions along the shared land borders, and Algeria’s continued support for the Polisario militia movement have all impacted Algiers’ standing with the US in a negative fashion.
To make matters significantly worse, Algeria has drawn closer to Iran in recent months, in response to Morocco’s rapprochement with Israel after the US-supported Abraham accords last year. The US considers Iran among the major threats within the MENA region.
The US, a major political and security ally for Morocco, has attempted to skirt around the issue between the North African neighbors. However, the Algerian government’s continuous push of anti-Moroccan policies has resulted in the US staying politically distant from the regime in Algiers.
According to sources quoted in the Algerian analysis, the real reason Lamamra continues to refuse to ask the US to participate in deeper bilateral discussions is due to the risk of suffering a “humiliating refusal” from Blinken.
With Algeria taking zero steps towards genuinely addressing tensions with Morocco, it appears unlikely the US will want to hold any lengthy discussions with the regime anytime in the future.
