America and the Maghreb

In East Africa there is turmoil and a failed state whilst the Sahel is facing a catastrophic drought  and displacement of combined with terrorism and conflict in Mali . Ecowas has proposed AU troops for Mali but with the situation in Somalia and Sudan taking increased UN and AU forces will there be enough troops? American troops went into Somalia in 1992-94 with disastrous results. The new US force Africom post Somalia ,Iraq and Libya is not going to put US  troops on the ground. Those days are over and as the Sahel crisis worsens perhaps it is time to reflect on the US role in the Maghreb, North Africa and the world for it is changing.

The Maghreb, still relatively stable must hold its own in the face of insurrections and terrorism. As Hosni Mubarak a long term US ally faces judgement in Cairo the US government has to reflect on its engagement with islamic governments right accross North Africa. She visits Tunisia to attend the first meeting of "friends of Syria," which will consist of allies and the Syrian opposition, in order to "stop the killing of the Syrian people and promote a transition to democracy in this country, " but Russia is not attending and China which also blocks intervention in Syria in the UN Security Council make any concrete proposal for a solution to the conflict unlikely in the short term.

The Secretary of State will meet with Tunisian Prime Minister, Hamadi Jebali and members of civil society on the 23 and 24th. This will be the first visit by the Secretary of State since the revolution and popular feeling against America because of its longterm support for the Ben Ali (as it supported Mubarak). Hillary Clinton is nothing if not redoudtable and she will no doubt take it in her stride. Tunisia needs support and it gives the US the opportunity to  make headway in Tunisia's new post revolutionary environment.

After the Tunisia talks, Clinton will head to Algeria for talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the 25th February. Two articles in El Watan anticipating her visit raise interesting issues.  One headed :"Consolidate Morocco, neutralise Algeria"Consolidate Morocco, neutralise Algeria", complains that  Hillary Clinton and her predecessor Condoleeza Rice spent little or no time in Algiers while travelling frequently to Morocco.It compares Morocco and Tunisia's glamourous image with Algeria's difficult image of terrorism -"Algiers, the Mecca of the CIA and FBI", because Algeria has suffered from internal terrorism since 1992 and the suppression of the FIS government. Tunisia and Morocco have "moreflashy businesscards  and more user friendly  for the US the article suggests than Algeria.America is seen as hopelessly pro Israel. The article suggests that the opening of the Algerian Moroccan border is a priority for France but not for America.Algferia the article suggests is more valued by the US military and secutiy services This article's bitter note is perhaps more negative than it needs to be.

The other article is an interview with former Algerian  minister Abdelaziz Rahabi. He suggests that the opening of the Algerian Morocco border is less of a prioritry for America and is a  more important issue for France. He feels that America is trying to take advanttage of its support for revolts in the Arab world and its attempts at dialogue with the Taliban to offset anti Americanism and its support for Israel . This assessment is probably true.It is certainly true that America is having to change its foreign policy stance following the events of the Arab Spring, naturally there may be some concern as elections are coming o the 10 May in Algeria,"We believe that Algeria, like any other country, must meet the aspirations of its people,"  Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State said in Algiers in October 2011. In general  however America's stance towards Algeria has been supportive and the crticisms seem unusally bitter. Neither article mentions oil and gas in Algeria which is definitely of major importance to America. The US like every other international country finds the Western Sahara situation very difficult to resolve and treads carefully. The reconciliation between Algeria, Libya and Morocco will also be discussed by Hillary Clinton. The United States wants the two neighboring statesto overcome their differences. The opening of the land border between the two countries is also recommended by Washington as Mourad Medelci  was told on his two visits to the United States. The lasting instability in the Sahel-Saharan Africa will also be discussed by the U.S. Secretary of State with the Algerian authorities, including President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, thus recognising the crucial role of Algeria in the region.

During her visit to Morocco on 25 and 26 February, Hillary Clinton will hold talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Saad-Eddine El Othmani and representatives of the Moroccan government. Clinton will also chair the inauguration of the construction site of the new U.S. Embassy in Rabat. Morocco's economic reforms have always been enthusiastically backed by Hillary Clinton and Morocco's encouragement of its private sector is backed by US efforts  such as the recent conference on entrepreneurship in Marrakech. A  similar conference was held in Algeria a year before but Morocco is seen as futher ahead in developing its private sector and the work of Moroccans living and working in America is an important factor. Morocco has an established constitution confirmed by a referendum and popular elections have resulted in a new government. There are those who disagree with the result like the 20 February movement and the unemployed who are demonstrating against the situation but Morocco  despite economic difficulties is seen as stable with the backing of the majority of its people and this is a powerful and attractive factor in the eyes of the Americans who look at the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and Libya's difficult transition and want to support the AMU.

America is and can be in the future a positive supporter of the Maghreb countries and of their democratic processes, for it is democracy that has to be saved and preserved.America remains the leading champion of democracy in the world.