[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Maghreb and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Maghreb Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com by Thursday night of every week.]
Algeria
Algeria’s presidential elections: a litany of failures by the political class has wasted a golden opportunity for change Hicham Yezza views the recent elections as a failure of the political elite to capitalize on a rare opening for democratic change, instead leaving a rising generation to clean up the mess of decades of authoritarian rule.
Ghost President Yasmine Ryan profiles Bouteflika as he secures a fourth-term for presidency; despite the win, this does not necessarily indicate a success for the president or his camp.
Algeria`s New Era Amel Boubekeur describes the flimsy façade of political stability, exposed by the recent presidential elections.
Economist says Algeria will need its shale gas Said Bachar relays the analysis of economist Mustafa Muqaidish, who anticipates that Algeria will need to tap into shale gas within ten years to sustain its high budget.
Comment l`Algérie prépare sa future banqueroute Malek Sobhi and Mireille Duteil describe the dire situation of Algeria’s economy, referencing a study that shows Algerians were living better ten years ago than they are today.
Situation des prisonniers politiques détenus depuis 1992 : les familles déplorent l’indifférence des autorités Massinissa Benlakehal highlights the plight of the families of individuals detained since 1992, ignored by the authorities.
Des journalistes d`El Watan attaqués Reporters Without Borders publishes a report on Algerian journalists attacked for investigating electoral fraud.
The Army and the Status Quo Through a reading of Algerian military journal El Djeich, Kal offers insight into the political structure and position of the army through the past few years.
Libya
Congress appoints Maetig as PM by 121 votes After initially failing to secure the necessary number of votes, Libya’s General National Congress voted a second time, and appointed Ahmed Maetig prime minister.
RSF publie ses recommandations concernant le cadre constitutionnel et légal en Libye Reporters Without Borders offers recommendations to develop Libya’s legal and constitutional frameworks to better protect fundamental rights (in English, French, and Arabic).
Libya: Fair Trial Concerns for Ex-Officials Human Rights Watch expresses concern over the trial conditions for Gaddafi-era officials.
Libyan PM resigns as trial of Gaddafi sons, aides begins Asharq al-Awsat reports on the sudden resignation of Libyan Prime Minister-Designate Abdallah Al-Thinni, who cited security concerns as his reason for resignation.
Libya, Syria and the “responsibility to protect”: a moment of inflection? Nathalie Tocci outlines the geographies and discourse of “RTP” in the Syrian and Libyan contexts.
Mauritania
Mauritanie: le président Aziz briguera un deuxième mandat le 21 juin Mauritanian President Abdel Aziz will pursue a second term in June elections, declaring that any opposition is against national interests.
Mauritania: World Bank Supports Technical and Vocational Education to Prepare Youth for Jobs in Mauritania The World Bank announces an 11.3 million dollar grant to better prepare Mauritanian youth to enter the workforce as the country sees accelerated economic growth.
Mauritania`s Strategic Significance Anita Hunt offers a snapshot list of why Mauritania is regarded as an important geostrategic “security partner” for foreign nations (and the United States in particular).
Financial Times Sepcial Report on Mauritania The Financial Times publishes an extensive report on Mauritania’s political economy, with a particular focus on resource extraction.
Mauritanie: D’une histoire de mosquée à l’assassinat d’un adolescent guinéen In an act of violent xenophobia, a Guinean boy is violently murdered in Nouakchott.
Morocco
Unfair Rankings? Morocco’s Persecutory Delusion Zouhair Baghough analyzes Morocco’s recent Freedom House press freedom ranking against the Moroccan government’s press statements, concluding that the ranking fairly represented Morocco’s lack of progress on this account.
Morocco needs water management reform Reda Zaireg highlights a recent report by Morocco’s National Economic, Social, and Environmental Council on water management concerns.
IPAF-shortlisted Novelist Abdelrahim Lahbibi: ‘The Novel Is the City’ Al-Mustafa Najjar interviews novelists Abdelrahim Lahbibi after his third novel made the shortlist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
UE-Maroc: Kerdoudi dénonce le projet protectionniste communautaire Jawad Kerdoudi, President of the Moroccan Institute for International Relations, writes a letter to the EU decrying their protectionist measures that edge Morocco out of an agriculture market.
Jordan, Morocco and an Expanded GCC Curtis Ryan takes a critical look at recent plans to expand the GCC to a military partnership with Morocco and Jordan.
Tunisia
Tunisia`s trade deficit widens Mourad el Hattab probes Tunisia’s fiscal challenges and their regional implications.
La Tunisie lève officiellement ses réserves sur la Cedaw, mais maintient la Déclaration générale Tunisia lifts its reservations on CEDAW.
Nawaat Leaks Award-winning blog Nawaat launches a new whistleblowing portal for investigative journalism, Nawaat Leaks.
خطاب الترهيب الإقتصادي وعقيدة الصدمة: الخنوع أو الجوع Mohamed Samih Beji Okkez expresses grave concerns over the nature of Tunisia’s economic development and discourses around integration into the global economy.
New Areas Around Chaambi Declared Military Zones Bilel Sfaxi updates the situation of Tunisian security in the Mt. Chaambi region; with the cooperation of their Algerian counterparts, the Tunisian military is attempting to clear the region of violent jihadi groups.
IRI Poll: Tunisia`s Democratic Success Builds Cautious Optimism and Heightened Expectations An International Republican Institute poll in Tunisia reveals increased satisfaction with democratic process and government.
Tunisia: ‘I Too Set a Police Station on Fire’ Afef Abrougui highlights a campaign across social media to express solidarity with protesters facing charges for burning a police station during the 2011 uprisings.
Western Sahara
Sahara occidental : pour la première fois, l’ONU évoque la question des ressources naturelles The UN raises the issue of natural resource exploitation in its deliberations on the Western Sahara for the first time.
UN peacekeeping force in Western Sahara must monitor human rights Amnesty International declares that the “UN Security Council must expand the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Western Sahara to include sustained human rights monitoring.”
Wall Street Journal gives Western Sahara to Morocco Eugene Kontorovich challenges a recent Wall Street Journal article that referred to Morocco’s “border with Mauritania,” neglecting the legally non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara.
Peaceful Sahrawi Demonstrators Attacked Days Before Pivotal UN Vote The RFK Center condemns state-sponsored attacks on Sahrawi residents of Laayoune who were demonstrating in support of a UN human rights monitoring mandate.
U.N. renews Western Sahara mission, but without rights monitors The United Nations Security Council renewed MINURSO, its peacekeeping mission in the Western Sahara, without a mechanism for human rights monitoring.
Between Returning to War and Upholding Nonviolence Mohamedsalem Werad describes recent conversations among Sahrawi youth who are losing faith in nonviolent resistance.
Recent Jadaliyya Articles on the Maghreb
Tunisia: Foreign Policy Turns as Short-term Economic Strategy Stefano Maria Torelli situates Prime Minister Jomaa’s recent trip to the United States as part of a strategy to encourage greater investment into the Tunisian economy.
Notes sur l`élection présidentielle algérienne Rémy Ben offers insight into the 2014 Algerian presidential elections.
Event Report-Back -- Reflections on the 22nd Annual Cairo Papers Symposium: Disabilities, Revolution, and the Politics of Hope The American University of Cairo and the Cairo Papers in Social Science held a joint symposium entitled “Disabilities, Revolution, and the Politics of Hope.”
وقفة احتجاجية لعاملات الجنس في تونس Aymen Daboussi offers context on the crackdown on sex workers in Tunisia.
Foucault, Fanon, Intellectuals, Revolutions Anthony Alessandrini addresses the 2011 revolutions through a reading of Foucault and responses to his writings on the Iranian revolution.
الجزائر : لماذا رُشِّح بوتفليقة لعهدة رابعة؟ Yassine Temlali investigates the reasons behind Bouteflika’s nomination, despite his ill health and Algeria’s declining political economy.
`Justifications of Power`: Neoliberalism and the Role of Empire Muriem Haleh-Davis’ article addresses the logic of the French economic empire in Algeria.
The Dangers of Liberalism: Foucault and Postcoloniality in France Dirien Valayden explores the underside of liberalism through the work of Foucault.
Arduous Journeys on Roads Not [Yet] Taken: Language, Neoliberal Work Skills, and the Exhausted Educational Dream Charis Boutieri situates debates over the language of education in Morocco in the specific context of Morocco’s political economy.