Summary: after years of decline, the production of oil and gas in Algeria could be given a strong boost by the decision of the Algerian authorities to allow the exploration of the country’s shale resources.
Summary: Trump’s granting Morocco’s claim to the Western Sahara looked a clever stroke and a big win for Israel but the road to final diplomatic recognition has hit a bump or two.
Summary: Tunisians were not impressed with La Francophonie, a summit that celebrated the French connection but did little to help ordinary people so when Tunisia’s victory over France came in the World Cup, it was especially sweet.
Summary: a renegade golf tournament handsomely funded through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund shows MbS has ambitions well beyond the links.
Summary: after quadrupling their debt burden since 2014, the Gulf states are pausing new borrowing, thanks to reforms and the oil windfall. Oman and Qatar are even actively deleveraging. However, Bahrain and Sharjah remain in precarious positions.
Summary: will the energy price rise caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine allow Algeria to return to a position of power and prominence in North Africa and the wider Middle East?
Summary: opportunity beckons for Algeria as Europe struggles to meet its urgent need for reliable gas supplies but much needs to change in the energy, financial and industry sectors for the country to realise its full potential as a major European gas supplier.
Summary: previously seen as a model of stability and solid economic growth, Morocco is struggling with an economy battered by COVID and the fallout from the war in Ukraine; to further complicate matters the king is in failing health and a succession battle looms.
Summary: Emmanuel Macron carried off a charm offensive with Algeria’s President Tebboune securing a rapprochement that promises much but provides little in the way of concrete details.
At number 4 in our all-time top ten podcasts is Francis Ghilès’ Algeria and Morocco: neighbours with issues released 23 July 2021. Francis is a specialist on security, energy and political trends in North Africa and the western Mediterranean, and associate senior researcher at the Barcelona Centre for international affairs. From 1981 to 1995 he was a North Africa correspondent for the Financial Times, and has written for numerous publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, and El Pais.
