NARCO ANALYSIS: Algeria's New(ish) Foreign Policy

Back in February during a roundtable discussion in Washington, DC, Algeria’s Ambassador to the US Sabri Boukadoum said that Algeria’s foreign policy is pragmatic, a comment that elicited pushback from the roundtable’s other participants, who argued that Algeria’s foreign policy is too rigidly ideological. What Amb. Boukadoum was alluding to is a subtle evolution in Algeria’s approach to foreign policy that has begun to take shape over the last couple of months: there is no doubt that Algeria still adheres to its foreign policy principles, but it has adopted a more pragmatic approach. In practice, this means it’s keeping its peace instead of proclaiming its principles’ primacy at every opportunity. It’s staying mum, listening, absorbing, and trying to determine how best to proceed. The principles are still there, but instead of wearing them on its sleeve, it’s slipped them into its breast pocket – close to its heart, there to be consulted should the need arise. Outwardly, though, Algiers is all ears. 

The change is a product of a discreet but vibrant debate in Algiers – what should Algeria do and how should Algeria do it. That debate itself was precipitated by two significant foreign policy challenges. First, Algeria has a predilection for multilateral international institutions. But these are becoming weaker and less effective, ceding their influence to bilateral relations. Second, Algeria is a zealous believer in truth’s power to prevail. But it is a post-truth world, where truths are manufactured rather than being self-evident.