Algeria deepens its regional isolation in 2023

Algeria has suffered a series of diplomatic setbacks in 2023 that left it geopolitically isolated in its own neighborhood with an inaudible voice globally.

The year was promised by the Algerian civilian façade, the presidency, as a year of achievements. The president shamelessly promised his country would join the group of emerging economies BRICS.

However, none of that happened despite a visit by Tebboune to Russia where he said his country wants to contribute to break the dominance of the dollar on the global economy.

He said Russia was the protector of Algiers since independence and that Putin was the “friend of humanity.”

None of that helped Algeria join the BRICS which instead admitted Ethiopia and Egypt as new members together with Iran and the UAE.

Russian foreign minister Lavrov made it clear that the newcomers to BRICS were states that “had a global standing.”

The blow dealt by the failure to join BRICS left Algerian diplomacy in disarray, swaying between its animosity to the West due to Tebboune’s anti-western rhetoric and a rejection by Russia, which continues to view Algeria as a client rather than an ally or strategic partner.

In the Sahel, 2023 is wrapping up with a crisis between Mali and Algeria. Bamako recalled its ambassador to Algiers and asked Tebboune and the Algerian military regime to abstain from interfering in its domestic affairs.

Prior to the outbreak of the crisis with Mali due to Algeria’s support to Malian opposition figures, Niger had rejected Algeria’s mediation and so did the ECOWAS.

In Libya, Algeria is perceived as a biased neighbor while Tunisia has accepted to be a vassal state of the Algerian military regime.

In Europe, Algeria is but an exporter of gas and illegal migrants. It undermined its market share by weaponizing gas against Spain, when it sought in vain to force Spain, using gas exports, to backtrack from backing Morocco on the Sahara issue.

Since Tebboune took power four years ago, Algeria had three foreign ministers marking inconsistency in the diplomacy of the military-run state.

As Tebboune prepares for a second term, he has no diplomatic achievement to offer. Algeria’s voice is inaudible in its immediate neighborhood, at the Arab level, and globally.