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Washington D.C – Algeria’s circle of allies appears to be shrinking daily. While the military-installed government of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune continues to stumble and alienate its friends and allies, Algiers is more than ever alone and insignificant on the international scene. The incompetence and absurdity of the Tebboune-Chengriha duo is driving Algeria off a cliff and endangering the stability and security in the Maghreb and the Sahel region.
Obsessed with Rabat as its main strategic rival that threatens its perceived regional leadership, Algiers has repeatedly turned against its friends who either sided with Rabat or stayed neutral in the Western Sahara conflict. The “Moroccophobia” of the Algerian army turned the great Algerian nation into a joke, an international outcast, and a diplomatic clown.
Tebboune and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Chengriha’s many attempts to lure Morocco into confrontation have been fruitless. Rabat continues to disregard the provocative acts and declarations of the Algerian authorities. For the Royal Palace, Tebboun does not represent the Algerian people and Chengriha does not speak on behalf of the Algerian Armed Forces (ANP). Algeria has become inconsequential and unimportant in the international arena. As a result, Rabat does not see a need to comment on the Algerian President’s anti-Morocco inflammatory statement.
In this day and age, Algeria cannot even be respected by its friends. Relationships with traditional allies such as Russia are, at best, marginal. Not long ago, the Russian foreign minister chastised his Algerian counterpart for not coordinating the strategies in Libya.
The Tebboune government cast of characters, from his human-smuggling foreign minister Boukadoum to his AWOL commander of the Republican General Benali, are slowly but surely annihilating all of the country’s institutions. Thus, Algeria is officially the true Banana Republic.
The list of funny but humiliating episodes that reveal the extent of Algeria’s fall of grace is too long to be covered in an article.
A video of a Malian Politician kicking out an Algerian “parliamentarian” during The Pan-African Parliament (PP) vote on a new president captures the state of affairs of an isolated Algerian government. Algeria went against its neighbor and “friend” Mali to support the Zimbabwean candidate backed by South Africa because of its support in the Western Sahara conflict against Morocco.
The degrading scene of a resolute Ms. Haidara Aichata Cisse chasing the Algerian did not go unnoticed in the Sahel and North Africa where Algeria is at odds with all its neighbors except Mauritania that remains a hostage to Algeria’s covert threats of a coup d’état at any time.
Algeria’s actions at the PPP adds to the Malians’ suspicion and distrust of Algerian motives in the Sahel especially Algeria’s military intelligence involvement with the Islamic militant groups and secessionist movements. It is becoming evident that Algerian officials are not welcome in Bamako.
Tunisia, which has kept a low profile in the Maghreb regions for years not to offend the Algerian army, is also revolting. Civil society and intellectuals in Tunis are speaking out about the Algerian intimidation factor that has hampered the political and economic potentials that a Moroccan-Tunisian alliance could offer the two countries.
When Algeria attempted to “facilitate” mediation among Libyan warring factions, it was told to stand back or be attacked. Both camps in Libya do not trust the Algerian army that is more interested in hindering Morocco‘s fruitful efforts to end the civil war than actually assisting the international endeavors. In a humiliating manner, Libyan officials repeatedly refused to meet with visiting Algerian envoys. Algeria, a neighboring country, has been purposely kept away from recent high-level diplomatic activities.
Yet the recent embarrassing joint conference of Foreign Minister Boukadoum and his Spanish counterpart remains the most disturbing for the Algerian nationalist. During a visit to Spain, Mr. Boukadoum invited Ms. Arancha González Laya to speak on behalf of Algeria, as both countries are “close friends”. A few weeks later, Spain blocked the Algerian presidential jet which entered its air space for fear it may smuggle a guerrilla leader wanted by the Spanish courts.
The latest joke out of the Mouradia was Tebboune’s interview with the French weekly Le Point that is owned by a former military officer who bragged about killing Algerians during Algeria’s war of independence. Not only did he gave an interview to right-wing media, but the Algerian presidency altered the cover of the magazine to show Tebboune as the lead story while his interview was a secondary news item.
Algerian observers based in Europe all agree that Tebboune is the worst president in the history of independent Algeria and General Chengriha is the most incompetent Chief of staff in the young life of the ANP. Moreover, under their leadership, Algeria will probably continue to be insignificant and in relative decline in the current international diplomatic context. As long as the army remains in charge, Algerian diplomacy will be left out for many years to come.
