Algerian Foreign Policy in the Regional Space: Between Historical Principles and New Imperatives

Abstract

This study addresses a topic of current concern to specialists and warranting particular scholarly attention. It examines the course of Algerian foreign policy in its historical and security dimensions, from the post-independence period to the beginning of the present century and its most recent developments. It does so by unpacking the relationship between history, mechanisms, region, and role, especially in light of the successive and rapid crises that have affected the Maghreb and Sahel border belt and the Mediterranean space. The study also assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of Algerian foreign policy in confronting both traditional and emerging security threats.

The study offers real added value by highlighting Algeria’s attention to its immediate surroundings, namely its neighboring countries, which are witnessing shifting roles and unprecedented dynamism, including transformations in their social structures. It also examines the requirements of Algeria’s regional role and the country’s capacity to deal with events, developments, and crises. Ultimately, it seeks to establish whether Algeria continues to rely on the principles of its foreign policy and on most of the mechanisms previously adopted, after assessing their effectiveness in light of the demands of the current century. It concludes by proposing a set of pillars that, in the authors’ view, would increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Algerian foreign policy in its Arab, African, Mediterranean, and wider regional spheres.