US ambassador Richard-B.-Norland

Can Jomaa’s Caretaker Government Deliver Economic Reform?

When Mehdi Jomaa assumed the role of Tunisia’s interim Prime Minister in late January, he did not know how disastrous the true economic condition of his country was. He admitted it roughly a month later during a televised interview by saying that the hole in the budget deficit was about 4 billion dinars (2.5 billion […]

Algeria: Crisis Worsening, Fueling Social Anger & Raising Fears of Implosion

The social and economic situation is getting worse in Algeria despite the government’s efforts to contain the crisis, exacerbated by chronic corruption and falling revenue from oil and gas. Deeply concerned over the shrinking of its hard currency reserves needed for the purchase of products manufactured abroad, the Algerian authorities decided to curb import but […]

Sahara: Slovenia supports Morocco’s Autonomy Plan offering realistic & enduring peaceful solution

Slovenia’s foreign minister Mrs. Tanja Fajon has voiced her country’s strong support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan offered for the Sahara under its sovereignty, saying the plan is “a good basis for reaching a final and consensual solution.” In a joint statement issued in Rabat following her talks held Tuesday with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, the […]