Local feud? Regional proxy? A diversion from internal problems? Where there is broad agreement that long-running rivalry, split relations with Israel, and domestic crises of legitimacy are deciding factors in severing ties between Morocco and Algeria, disagreement remains as to how these should be weighted. Is this simply the most recent spat in a long history, or does Israeli normalization signify a new chapter in the dynamics of North Africa tensions? While the answer remains to be seen, the fate of Moroccans in Algeria hangs in the balance, and the Sahel emerges as the latest arena of Maghrebi competition.
The longer Saied extends his emergency powers, the younger and more fragile Tunisia’s democracy always appears to have been. But what makes a democracy fragile, and how can it be strengthened? Saied has instrumentalised national crises, the pandemic and a popular anti-corruption discourse, but the ways in which he has done so reflects deeper problems with Tunisia’s democratic infrastructure. Absence of a constitutional court, a harmonious national identity, and depth of Western foreign policy commitment to democracy all flag as causes for concern. But do recent attacks on civil liberties really mean an end to democracy, or are they part and parcel of its growth, dilemma and development?
In Libya too the question of democracy is under inspection. Elections are seen as a milestone in the peace process, but what they mean in the Libya context remains contested. How do different actors conceive of elections, of democracy, and will they respect the outcome no matter its favour? Is participation built on genuine commitment or are elections merely a tool within wider strategies of power? If even pre-election politics threatens the fragile ecosystem of internal and external alliances upon which Libyan peace has been achieved, the question of post-election politics is certainly daunting. Does revival of the 1951 constitution offer a way out of fragmentation, factionalism and the entrenchment of foreign interests?
For Morocco, however, democracy seems completely out of the question. The 22nd year of King Mohammed VI’s rule is characterised less by a spirit of reform than re-centralisation of power and increasing weaponisation of judiciary, online media and surveillance technologies to silence and slander its critics. And a close relationship with the West. But how appropriate is it to evaluate Moroccan governance against a system it has never had and seems so far away from achieving? Are there other reference points, previous monarchs, regional and global trends, and how does Morocco fair against these?
North Africa in focus is a weekly review of literature produced on North Africa across Think Tanks, media organisations, NGOs, IGOs and Governments. Covering multiple languages, the review signposts you to the in-depth articles, Op-Eds, interviews and human-interest stories shaping the conversation on North Africa.
