27/08/2021
43817 times read
27/08/2021
43817 times read
BEING out of tune has been a constant Algerian policy since its independence, due to which the severing of relations with the Kingdom of Morocco did not come as a surprise, as it was part of the decades-long escalation.
Instead of Algeria responding positively to the policy declared in the recent speech of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, the troubled neighbor chose to turn his back on those who received great credit for the success of the 1954 revolution and the departure of the French colonizer from Algeria in 1962.
Despite that, Algeria, after one year of its liberation, launched the so-called “sand war” in 1963 against Morocco.
It is unfortunate that this policy does not serve the building of a better future, but dives into the details of the past, and tries to tailor events according to this logic that has proven fruitless since the 1960s.
Undoubtedly, we in Kuwait are aware of this from the bitter experience of the Algerian response to Kuwait’s popular and official support of it and its revolution. Eventually, Algeria, during the reign of Shazly bin Jadid’s regime that was against the right of Kuwait to exist, supported Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait, which is not different in form and content from the French occupation of their country.
Also, the position on Kuwait was not different from that of the relationship of this North African Arab state with Egypt, which was a great supporter of its revolution. Instead of heading to the future in accordance with common sacrifices, and using Egyptian expertise in building a modern state, Algeria denied that big role and deliberately launched media campaigns against Cairo. This continued until the four-day war that Libya launched against Egypt in 1977. The war came to an end after the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat accepted the mediation of the late Algerian President Houari Boumediene to restore normal relations between the two sides.
So today when Algeria takes this step based on allegations that a sane person would not believe, which is to accuse Morocco of setting fire to the forests in the north of the country, such an excuse is worse than a sin.
It is a deliberate neglect of the climate change that has caused the worst fires and natural disasters in the world, starting from Spain, to Greece, France, and other countries that have experienced this type of disaster.
Over the past six decades, the Moroccan response to the Algerian provocations has been kind and mild. It has been seeking to extend a hand of cooperation, based on a fixed royal policy that has not changed since the late King Hassan II assumed the reins of government. This royal policy is non-interference in the affairs of other states, and working on unifying the efforts of the North African Arab states under one banner, which culminated in the Arab Maghreb Union at the Marrakesh Summit in 1989.
Also, the Moroccan policy did not change during the reign of King Mohammed VI, who sought for a long time to restore relations between the two countries to their normal course. This was repeatedly confirmed in the royal stances and speeches, especially the recent speech in which he extended the hand of cooperation to Algeria but was responded with severing of relations.
It is really unfortunate that a country of the size of Algeria bases its policy on unrealistic reports fabricated by security advisors who live in the corridors of conspiracy inside or outside the country. For this reason, it hardly comes out of a crisis before falling into another one that is bigger than the previous one, either internally or externally.
Today, Algeria is suffering from the worst diplomatic situation in its history because of its tense relations with Libya and Tunisia, and even with African countries such as Mali and others. One cannot help but wonder if this country is seeking to isolate itself, and be like Iran, a pariah state and a sponsor of terrorism.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times