[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
L’instance de coordination de la CNLTD appelle à l’organisation d’une élection présidentielle anticipée One of Algeria’s main opposition movements met at the Mouvement de la société pour la paix (MSP) headquarters on Tuesday to call for another presidential election given the president’s health issues.
Algerian football fans sing songs of freedom Assia Boundaoui discusses the often disregarded influence of young Algerian football fans in public discourses on political contestation.
Algerian President Bouteflika leaves French hospital President Abdelaziz Bouteflika continues to suffer from health issues. He was admitted to a hospital in Grenoble last week for a two-day visit and has since returned to Algeria.
L`Algérie sans Bouteflika Mustapha Tossa addresses the potential domestic and international reactions to a post-Bouteflika era in Algeria.
Politics in Algeria Is About More than Just Who’s President International media focuses on the role of the president in Algeria’s system, but a better understanding of the multiple actors on the political landscape reveals the likelihood for political continuity, rather than rupture.
Libya
عناصر الأمن أكثر من المسافرين على حدود ليبيا.. وتحذير من «بوابات» للمتطرفين This report from Asharq Al-Awsat describes how official checkpoints do not protest the Egyptian-Libyan border. Instead, there are “ghost checkpoints” run by various unofficial groups for the purpose of smuggling people and materials between the two countries.
Benghazi: A city going up in smoke France 24 documents the recent battles in the city of Benghazi through residents’ personal testimonies and photos. The military campaign began on 15 October when General Haftar led a coalition against armed Islamist groups in the city.
Gadhafi’s Shadow Looms Over Fractured Libya William Eagle views the Libyan conflict and the dominance of militias as a function of the power vacuum that occurred after the end of Gaddafi’s forty-two year reign.
Saving Libya, Again Libya expert Dirk Vandewalle argues that Libya needs a European peacekeeping force to manage the armed militias challenging the political process.
Mauritania
Mauritania urged to end crackdown on slavery activists Amnesty International called for Mauritanian authorities to stop the “harassment, intimidation, and repression” of anti-slavery activities after a general crackdown led to the arrest of several well-known human rights defenders.
Global report says 36 million people enslaved The Global Slavery Index annual report shows Mauritania as the “worst offender” because it does not enforce its new anti-slavery legislation.
“Searing." "Beautiful." Mauritania’s first-ever submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award “Timbuktu,” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, is receiving critical acclaim for its cinematography and depiction of life outside of city of Timbuktu.
Mauritanie, les ressources halieutiques livrées au pillage Mauritania’s opposition blames President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz for the corruption that has eaten up various sectors of the economy, especially in the domain of fishing.
Morocco
تجاوز الوطنية الضيقة في This op-ed from the Moroccan daily Al-Massae analyzes the ambiguous concept of the nation, as both a weapon of authoritarian governments and a necessary aspect of identity and dignity.
والي الرباط يمنع ندوة تكوينية حول "الإعلام.. القوانين.. الدين.. والقيم الديمقراطية Local authorities in the capital city of Rabat banned a training seminar planned by the Moroccan Association for Investigative Journalism on “Media, Laws, Religion, and Democratic Values” which was due to be held on 1-2 November.
La CAN 2015 n`aura pas lieu au Maroc, l`équipe marocaine disqualifiée Morocco refused to host the African Cup of Nations this year, citing concerns over Ebola. This led to the national team’s disqualification from the tournament.
Morocco to Set Free Unjustly Jailed Rapper Othman Atiq, the seventeen year old Moroccan rapper known as “Mr. Crazy,” just finished serving a three month jail sentence for “offending a state institution” and “harming public morality.”
AMDH décide de poursuivre en justice le ministère de l’Intérieur After several months of harassment and a de-facto ban on its activities, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights(AMDH) is planning to sue the country’s Interior Minister Mohammed Hassad.
On the dark side of Arab-African relations Morocco’s recent refusal to host the African Cup of Nations due to public health concerns over Ebola reveals national and social level tensions about Morocco’s African identity.
La pensée émancipatrice d’Aziz Belal face au néo-colonialisme dans le Maroc contemporain Youssef Belal examines philosophies on freedom in the context of neo-colonial structures in a two part study for a colloquium honoring the late Aziz Belal that took place on 10-11 October at the Université Cadi Ayyad.
«Le système politique est la cause du mal développement du Maroc» Eighty-four political, civil society, and economic actors gathered last week for a conference on “Constrained Development” and the unequal distribution of resources in the country.
Tunisia
Les idées fausses de l`Islam politique Soumaya Ghannoushi challenges the popular argument that the results of the Tunisian legislative elections represent the decline of political Islam.
Revolution, Counter-revolution and Democracy in Tunisia: Implications for Europe Michael Willis explains that Ennahda’s loss to Nidaa Tounes occurred because of widespread opinions about how the Islamist party failed to implement any real economic reforms.
Woman Running for President Shows Tunisia’s Arab Spring Progress Kalthoum Kannou is the first woman to ever run for the office of President in Tunisia. This article looks at her major policy platforms and her position as an independent party candidate.
Tunisia’s Nidaa Tounes: nostalgia for a past that never was? Middle East Eye writers critically examine Nidaa Tounes and its resurrection of the popular image of Tunisia long-time dictator Habib Bourguiba.
Western Sahara
Aminatu Haidar lanza un órdago a Marruecos Saharawi activist Aminatu Haidar asks to speak at the World Forum on Human Rights, an international gathering of major human rights groups taking place in Marrakech, Morocco at the end of November.
الوقفة التي نظمتها الجماهير الصحراوية بشارع اسكيكية للمطالبة بوقف إستنزاف ثروات الصحراء الغربية 15.11.2014 A demonstration was organized in Laayoune on 15 November to protest the depletion of Western Sahara resources by foreign powers.
Artists Against Moroccan Wall Over ninety international and local artists left the ARTIFARITI art festival in the Boujdour refugee camp to demonstrate in front of the Moroccan Wall using art, dance, and music.
Most recent articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
Migration, Fisheries, and the Supremacy of European Interests in Mauritania Hassan Ould Moctar elucidates the asymmetries of power that mark negotiations over fishing and migration between Mauritania and the European Union.
An Open Letter to King Mohammed VI Moroccan journalist Hamza Mahfoud wrote this letter on 11 November 2014, in response to King Mohammed VI`s speech marking the anniversary of the Green March. The open letter was originally published in Arabic on Huna Sotak and translated to English by Abdellah Laaraj.
Tunisia: The Victory of Secularism over Islamism? Youssef Ben Ismail argues that teleological understandings of history and triumphalist narratives of secularism’s victory over Islamism obscure the real dynamics at play in the Tunisian socio-political scene.
Qui sera l’Etat ? : Le soulèvement du Rif reconsidéré (1958-59) Nabil Mouline reexamines one of the most important and misunderstood events in Moroccan history, the Rif revolt of 1958-1959.
Radio France Internationale Interview with Jadaliyya Co-Editor Samia Errazzouki on General Strike in Morocco Samia Errazzouki discusses Morocco’s nationwide strike that took place on October 29 in the context of Morocco’s long history with the International Monetary Fund and structural adjustment programs.
“Hamel, Leave!”: The Men in Blue and the Fracturing of the Order Thomas Serres examines the challenges to the Algerian system through the lens of the unprecedented police protests that took place last month in Algiers.
Beyond Uncritical Optimism: The Challenges for Transitional Tunisia Stefano Maria Torelli addresses the socioeconomic and political challenges that Tunisia must confront to continue its democratic transition.