Analysis

NARCO ANALYSIS: Algeria's Moment

2022/02/02

The unrelated crises in Ukraine and Mali afford Algeria the opportunity to play the role on the international stage to which it always aspires – stability’s non-violent, impartial broker.

NARCO CLOSEHOLD: Algerian Equilibrium

2022/01/12

In Algeria, power’s constant contestation causes an uneasy equilibrium. There is a ceaseless push and pull. There is no definitive décideur. Everyone is a would-be contender to the title, a pretender to the throne, but their power is fleeting and their impact even more so.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Libya Lurching

2021/11/24

Libya's upcoming elections are a political exercise that will once again reshape the country’s leadership landscape, but they will in no way reinforce the legitimacy of Libya’s political leadership. The country will remain fractured, perhaps becoming more than it already is, and the prospect for political violence is very high.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Three Thoughts from Algiers

2021/11/02

Last week, I traveled to Algiers for the first time in two years, and only two months after Algeria re-opened its borders. Below are three thoughts from the visit. The analysis is a departure from typical North Africa Risk Consulting products. It is more "fieldnotes" than formal political risk analysis.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Maghreb Diplomacy Developments

2021/10/12

The last year has been flush with furtive diplomacy in the Maghreb. Over the last 10 months, there have been myriad diplomatic developments that are changing (or perhaps merely clarifying) the relationship among Maghreb countries, and between Europe and North Africa. Moroccan and Algerian foreign affairs are the most dynamic they have been in years.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Tunisia Still Stuck

2021/09/23

Almost 60 days after Tunisian President Kais Saied suspended parliament for 30 days, the president announced new “exceptional” measures that extend and strengthen his grip on power. Eventually, Saied’s moves are going to boomerang on him, and the country is going to be worse off for it.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Morocco Open for Business...but...

2021/09/15

King Mohamed VI appointed businessman and former Minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch to form a government. Given his profile (and his wife’s own business interests,) there is no doubt that he wants to introduce policies that will generate strong industrial activity as well as robust consumer spending. But his appointment as prime minister poses some problems.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Algeria Burning

2021/08/11

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has faced multiple crises during his 20-month tenure, but the forest fires ravaging Kabylia to the east of the capital may be the worst yet. According to official sources, the fires have killed 37 civilians and 28 military personnel thus far. They come against a backdrop of three ongoing crises in Algeria, political, economic, and health.

NARCO ANALYSIS: Tunisia Troubles

2021/07/26

On 25 July, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied fired his prime minister, dismissed his cabinet, and dissolved parliament. He subsequently deployed the military to secure the prime minister’s office and the parliament, and pledged to appoint new interior, defense, and foreign affairs ministers. The president declares that it is a constitutionally permissible house cleaning. His opponents say it’s a coup.

NARCO CLOSEHOLD: Morocco and the Cookie Jar

2021/07/21

The Makhzen has got to be scrambling. Leaked documents implicate Morocco (among other countries) in an enormous cyber espionage offensive, in which Rabat purchased Israeli technology to hack the mobile phones of thousands of journalists, activists, and foreign officials.

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NARCO CLOSEHOLD

NARCO CLOSEHOLD is timely, actionable analysis derived from discreet sources. NARCO CLOSEHOLDs are crafted as events merit. They are available to NARCO's subscription and retainer clients and on a case-by-case basis.

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