Laboratories in Paris are unable to understand France's helplessness against Algeria.
The latest to be interrogated in this context was the well-known French sociologist, Gilles Kepel, who was a guest on the 'Le Figaro Live' platform, to answer the central question: 'Why is France unable to confront Algeria?', a question that has been strongly raised for more than ten months, which marks the age of the escalating and unprecedented crisis between the two countries.
Gilles Kepel, who is a professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and also holds the Chair of the Middle East and the Mediterranean at the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, linked what has been happening between the two sides of the Mediterranean in recent months to some variables that have accumulated since Algeria gained its independence in the early 1960s.
According to the French sociologist, the first factor that increased the strength and rigidity of the Algerian position is that this country, Kepel says, enjoys economic independence derived from the large wealth and resources that Algeria possesses, foremost among them oil and gas wealth, which provided financial resources that enabled the Algerian state to eliminate dependence on foreign countries in the field of financing and to establish the necessary infrastructure that the state needs.
As for the second dimension, it is represented by the Algerian community, which numbers millions in the former colony, and this is a card that plays in Algeria's favor in any conflict between the two countries. Moreover, the diversity of this community and its penetration into various aspects of activity in French society makes it influential.
He pointed here to the arrival of an immigrant's son of Algerian origin to the government, where he currently holds the portfolios of Interior and Justice, referring to Gérald Moussa Darmanin, in addition to the presence of influential businessmen and intellectuals of Algerian origin in French society.
The professor at the 'London Ideas' Center for Diplomacy and Strategy at the London School of Economics and Political Science also believes that what he considers 'Algerian hostile policy towards France may have a negative impact on a segment of the French people,' and he refers here to the children of the Algerian community who may, of course, follow the interests of their country, according to his view, which is a natural thing that can happen in any country that hosts a large foreign community.
With some precision, Gilles Kepel refers to the disturbances and incidents that some French prisons were subjected to, and the targeting of some agents working in prison services, in the previous weeks, when the tension between the two countries was at its highest levels, and he tried to link that to the iron grip adopted by the French government towards Algeria and its community.
The French sociologist did not hide his fears of the pressure usually exerted by some lobbies (pressure groups) affiliated with Algeria in France.
The French remain perplexed in dealing with Algeria in light of the current crisis, the repercussions of which have confused decision-makers in Paris, so that, after nearly a year of the escalating crisis, they are still unable to get out of this quagmire they fell into, ever since French President Emmanuel Macron decided to blatantly side with the Moroccan regime in the Western Sahara issue, despite his awareness of the seriousness of that position on French interests in Algeria.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
El Chorouk
a day ago
- El Chorouk
Polisario Front's Conditions For Direct Negotiations With Morocco
The Polisario Front is 'fully ready' to enter into direct negotiations with Morocco, 'under the auspices of the United Nations, which should be serious and credible, without dictates or preconditions, to reach a just and consensual solution that respects the requirements of international law and the legal nature of Western Sahara as a decolonisation issue,' the Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun, said. In his address at the opening of the 13th Summer University for the Polisario Front executives, held Sunday at M'hamed Bouguerra University in Boumerdes (eastern Algiers), the Prime Minister added that 'the only solution to the Western Sahara issue is a democratic solution consistent with international law, which recognizes the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence and does not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.' Regarding the summer university, the Sahrawi spokesperson explained that it 'is being held amid profound international changes that, in one way or another, are affecting the course of the Sahrawi people's struggle. These include the Moroccan occupying state's resort to dangerous international alliances, such as its alliance with the Zionist entity and its attempt to lure consular representation from some mercenary countries to the cities of occupied Western Sahara, thereby threatening peace and security in the region.' He considered this event 'a broad intellectual space that develops the knowledge of the cadres and a testament to the sincerity of the fraternal alliance between the Algerian and Sahrawi peoples.' For his part, the President of the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (CNASPS), Said Ayachi, said that 'the desired victory for the Sahrawi cause can only be achieved through steadfastness and the combined efforts of all those who support the cause,' noting that international law 'is clear regarding the justice of the Sahrawi cause and the right to hold a self-determination referendum.' In turn, many participants in this event, held under the slogan 'Struggle and Sacrifice to Impose Independence and Freedom,' agreed on the importance of standing by the Sahrawi people and supporting them in their quest for freedom and independence. They also emphasised the importance of appreciating international positions supporting the just Sahrawi cause.
El Chorouk
2 days ago
- El Chorouk
The 2006 Scandal: Moroccan Regime's Relationship With the Zionist Entity
The well-known Belgian politician and journalist, Claude Moniquet, revealed a scandal in which Mohamed Yacine Mansouri, head of the Moroccan External Intelligence Service (DGED), visited Israel in 2006 to attend high-level meetings with the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Moniquet asserted that relations between the Moroccan regime and Israel were not the result of the normalisation agreement that took place before the world's eyes in December 2020, but rather date back decades. Claude Moniquet is not just a journalist. He is a politician, the former leader of the Belgian 'LiDem' party, and has worked for numerous French media, most notably the weekly 'L'Express.' He is also a former agent of the French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), and has connections with Moroccan intelligence, which lends his confessions a remarkable degree of credibility. In a post on his X account, Claude Moniquet wrote: 'I learned from a reliable Israeli source that during the 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah (in July 2006), Mehdi Hajaouy personally organized a trip for Yacine Mansouri (the head of the Moroccan foreign intelligence service) to Israel to attend high-level meetings with the Mossad and a visit the front line on the northern border', with Lebanon. This testimony brought considerable trouble to the double agent of both French and Moroccan intelligence, evident in the campaign he was subjected to, which he blamed on the Moroccan regime's thugs. They attempted to brand him as working for Algeria, an allegation he vehemently denied. He recalled his past in a second post on X, reaffirming his unwavering positions: '… Let my few critics know that I am not 'paid by Algeria,' but rather continue to support the Kingdom of Morocco, among other things, in the Western Sahara issue…' The Belgian politician's testimony, which sparked considerable controversy in the Alawite kingdom and its supportive lobbies in Europe, came in the context of his publication of confidential information about the second-in-command of the Moroccan foreign intelligence service, Mehdi Hajaoui, who fled Morocco months ago. This information also comes amidst the media campaign against him. Claude Moniquet said, 'The Moroccan 'judiciary' allegedly accuses Mehdi Hajaoui of various 'criminal acts,' but his French lawyers, William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, were able to a 'strictly political procedure supported by judicial setup…', and considered the allegations against the man to be mere false allegations designed to discredit Hajaoui. The Moroccan intelligence agent denied all the articles covering the Mehdi Hajaoui case, which claimed that he never held any strategic position in Moroccan intelligence. He added: 'I can provide personal testimony highlighting the extent to which the claims spread (obviously on orders) by the Moroccan media are unfounded. Between 2005 and 2014… I had regular contact with Mehdi Hijaouy, son of a now-deceased general who was close to King Hassan II. He was then chief of staff of Yacine Mansouri, the head of the DGED (Moroccan General Directorate of External Documentation). 'On two occasions, Hijaouy organised triangular meetings (Mansouri, Hijaouy and me), in Mr. Mansouri's own office. At the same time, after the London attacks (July 2025), Hijaouy organised a meeting for me dedicated to jihadist groups (among others al-Qaeda) in the Maghreb', Moniquet added. He explained that 'the meeting took place at the DGED headquarters, and was attended by officials from various departments of the service. Mehdi Hijaouy chaired the discussions. He subsequently organised other meetings: with Army Corps General Benani, who then commanded the 'southern zone', with Fouad Ali Himma (currently the Moroccan king's advisor)… among others at the 'La Tour Hassan' hotel in Rabat, then Secretary of State for the Interior and very close to King Mohammed VI and with other important security officials'. Claude Moniquet also confirmed that, 'finally, at other times, I was able to personally verify with contacts in the French and Israeli intelligence communities that Mehdi Hijaouy was extremely appreciated there and was an important vector of security cooperation between Rabat and Paris on the one hand and Rabat and Tel Aviv on the other', this enabled him to arrange a visit by Mohamed Yacine Mansouri, head of the Moroccan External Intelligence Service (DGED), to the Zionist entity in 2006, to attend high-level meetings with the Zionist intelligence agency, Mossad. Moniquet point out that Mehdi Hijaouy was the first DGED officer to benefit (in September 2000) from anti-terrorist training organised by the Zionist intelligence services. He believes that 'the revelations of the Moroccan press put into perspective, allow me simply, in conclusion, to regret that questions of personal rivalries and jealousy push a large service like the DGED to engage in such a settling of scores which can only harm its image, the security of Morocco, the relations between the DGED and the allied services and the morale of its officers who can now fear being abandoned and publicly exposed from one day to the next'.
El Chorouk
5 days ago
- El Chorouk
Paris Seeks Alternative Diplomatic Ways With Algeria
The French authorities have resorted to alternative diplomacy to preserve their remaining interests in Algeria, which have suffered unprecedented damage since the outbreak of the crisis between the two countries following France's shift in position on the Sahara issue, resulting in a decline in diplomatic representation to the level of chargé d'affaires. This refers to parliamentary activity, which is considered complementary and sometimes transforms, as in the current situation between Algeria and Paris, into an alternative diplomacy, given the severing of official ties. This was embodied by the visit of the French Senator Akli Mellouli and National Assembly MP, Sabrina Sebaihi, to Algeria. Akli Mellouli serves as Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces Committee in the upper house of the French Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Algerian-French Friendship Group. MP Sabrina Sebaihi is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the lower house of the French Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Algerian-French Friendship Group. The two parliamentarians were received by Michel Bisac, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the French Embassy in Algeria. In a post on his LinkedIn account on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, the CCIF President welcomed his guests and spoke of a 'useful and constructive exchange with member business leaders on prospects for developing and strengthening economic relations between the two countries.' Both Akli Mellouli and Sabrina Sebaihi are considered moderate political voices in France. They advocate for respecting Algeria and maintaining stable relations with it, to preserve bridges of communication and safeguard the intertwined social ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean. The visit of the French elected officials comes at a time of great complexity in relations between Algeria and Paris, which have been ongoing for exactly a year, following weeks of renewed political and media controversy between the two countries. The latest was the escalating measures announced by the French Foreign Ministry regarding diplomatic portfolios, a measure to which Algeria responded with another measure based on the principle of reciprocity established in diplomatic norms. This is not the first time French politicians have resorted to this approach in an attempt to de-escalate tensions with Algeria and preserve, as much as possible, Paris's economic and cultural interests in Algeria. However, these attempts have so far failed miserably, due to the depth of the crisis that has shaken relations between the two capitals. More than two weeks ago, Sébastien Delogu, MP representing the La France Insoumise party, visited Algeria. His political stance, which called on the far right to avoid harming bilateral relations to preserve Paris' interests, led to a racist campaign by those political circles. Upon his return to Paris, he denounced the campaign in a post on X. MP Sébastien Delogu wrote: 'In line with the unprecedented attacks launched by the right and the far right to create conflict in French-Algerian relations, I was immediately attacked, to exploit my visit (to Algeria), ridiculing me, and distorting my presence there.' He emphasized that 'the shared memory between us and the Algerian people must prompt us to envision a future based on the principles of respect, equality, and brotherhood between our peoples.' The French parliamentarians' visit to Algeria is not expected to help calm the escalating tensions between the two countries. This is because the decision-making power in the French state is no longer controlled by the Elysée Palace, as it is supposed to be, but by unconstitutional forces surrounding it. This is what Bruno Retailleau, Interior Minister in François Bayrou's government, is keen to implement. As is known, he has caused a new diplomatic crisis, about which the Quai d'Orsay Palace said that it was not consulted, in a caricatured scene that sums up the situation that a country like France has reached.
