THE NEW SELF-CONFIDENCE OF THE MAGHREB STATES
Gudrun Harrer in conversation with Isabelle Werenfels
THE NEW SELF-CONFIDENCE OF THE MAGHREB STATES
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, there was great hope in the West that political leaders in Africa and the Middle East would also support the actions of the transatlantic allies. However, the country analyses reveal how much the perceptions and interests of these actors differ from those of the Western community of states.
In Algeria and Tunisia in particular, the Russian perspective is strongly present, both in the pro-government press and in the social media: the Ukrainian president is often seen as a provocateur and aggressor. Such reactions are rooted in deep-seated anti-imperialist and anti-American reflexes, whereby Russia is paradoxically not perceived as imperialist.
At the same time, the region's negotiating power vis-à-vis the EU is currently strengthened by the migration issue. While the European Union is negotiating a refugee agreement with Tunisia, the North African country is cracking down on migrants. There is also major disagreement within the EU on the question of how the European asylum system should be organised in the future. The Maghreb states can also capitalise on this situation.
Isabelle Werenfels is a Senior Fellow and former head of the Africa and Middle East Research Group at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, where she conducts research on the Maghreb region. Her expertise ranges from political transformations, elite change and social movements in the Maghreb states to intra-Maghreb relations and German and European policy towards the region.
Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor, Der Standard; Lecturer for Modern History and Politics of the Near and Middle East at the University of Vienna and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna