Algeria’s Golden Opportunity

 Africa’s largest country, Algeria, has a sizeable record of global mediation, spanning the Iran-Iraq conflict in 1975 to the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict in 2000. Algeria’s evolving diplomacy raises questions on how it balances its revolutionary roots with pragmatic politics.

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Algerian diplomacy finds its roots in the nation’s revolutionary heritage, forged during the Algerian Revolution starting in 1954 and institutionalized through the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (GPRA) from 1958–1962. Acting as the legitimate representative of the Algerian people, the GPRA played a critical role in negotiations leading to the 19 March 1962 ceasefire and the Évian Accords of the same year. These milestones not only brought an end to the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) but also formalized the conditions for Algeria’s decolonization after 132 years of French rule. By securing international recognition for Algeria’s right to self-determination, the GPRA established a seminal precedent wherein diplomatic engagement, rather than armed struggle alone, proved instrumental in the articulation of postcolonial sovereignty, shaping the foundational ethos of the Algerian state. The legacy of these formative years—epitomized by Algeria’s status as the ‘Mecca of Revolution’—set the normative framework for its foreign policy. Algeria’s endurance and resistance against the violent and often genocidal barbarities of French colonialism positioned it as an experienced advocate for international security in the post-independence era, reflected in important mediation efforts, such as the 1975 Algiers Agreement between Iran and Iraq and the 2000 peace efforts in the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict.

This revolutionary narrative, while inspiring, can sometimes risk romanticizing Algeria’s diplomatic record, overshadowing the complexities and constraints of translating principles into actionable strategies. As Algeria rounds off its tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in late 2025, it is worth reflecting on the long-term impact of Algeria’s mediation record, including the degree to which underlying structural issues were resolved, follow-through mechanisms sustained, and regional rivalries managed...

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