Algeria: Preventing Chaos

Photo Credit Middle East Monitor

The fall of Gaddafi in 2011 and the ensuing conflict worried Algeria considerably even if Algerian-Libyan relations were often tense due to Gaddafi’s impulsive policies. Indeed, despite periods of amity and political affinities Gaddafi’s Libya represented an intermittent threat to Algeria's security. His foreign policy caused great concern to Algerian decision makers throughout his reign, regardless of the often trumpeted friendly and brotherly ties of the two neighbours (e.g. when Libya stood with Algeria in 1971 when Algeria nationalized its hydrocarbons resources or the signing of the Arab Maghreb Union in 1989). There are several examples that stand out over Gaddafi’s 42 years in power. His manipulation of the Tuareg question (calling for a unified Tuareg state, for instance), the inconsistency of his regional policy (interventions in Africa), his alliance with regimes in conflict with Algeria (e.g. when he signed the Oujda Treaty with Rabat in 1984, thus reneging on his support for the Algerian-backed POLISARIO, the Sahrawi liberation movement), the non-ratification of the border demarcation with Algeria, his obsession with unions of all kinds, the creation of the Sahelo- Saharan States (CEN-SAD) in February 1998 without associating Algeria, his use of terrorism and his military adventures, and his confrontation with the United States created serious frictions with Algeria (1). In the 1990s, Algerian officials were convinced that Gaddafi was supporting Islamist insurgents operating in Algeria (2). The West’s rehabilitation of the Gaddafi regime (2003-2011) accentuated tensions between Algeria and Libya as they became rivals in the energy market; indeed, Libya wanted to replace Algeria as the main supplier of natural gas to Europe (3). Of course, there were also periods of rapprochement. In 1987, for instance when the two countries contemplated entering a political union.

(1) Yahia H. Zoubir, “Tilting the Balance toward Intra-Maghreb Unity in Light of the Arab Spring,” Interna- tional Spectator, Vol. 47, No. 3 (September 2012), p. 92
(2) Author’s interview with high-level advisor on national security, March 5, 1993
(3) Yahia H. Zoubir and Louisa Dris-Aït-Hamadouche. Global Security Watch—The Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Press, 2013), 73

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