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Algeria

Morocco

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Low water levels are seen at the Sidi Salem Dam, Tunisia's largest embankment dam, on April 6, 2023. 

Environment, Science & Technology

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Water and food shortages this summer will increase socioeconomic risks in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, along with the impetus for more sustainable agricultural practices. 

After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Western Sahara

Economics

Energy

After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

China

Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) listens to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) at the 2019 Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin and Erdogan Head to Kazakhstan, Palestinian Leaders Head to Algeria

Spain

People take part in a ''Free Sahara'' rally in Madrid, Spain, on March 30, 2022, in protest of the Spanish government's recent move to recognize Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 

Military & Security

Madrid’s support will further legitimize Rabat’s claimed control over the disputed territory, though it will also risk inciting more attacks by Algeria-backed militants.

Spain's New Stance on Western Sahara Brings Morocco-Algeria Tensions Back to a Boil

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Senior Middle East and North Africa Analyst Emily Hawthorne breaks down the latest developments in the dispute over Western Sahara and what’s at stake.

Essential Geopolitics: What’s Behind Rising Algeria-Morocco Tensions

A bulldozer passes by a hilltop manned by Moroccan soldiers in Western Sahara on Nov. 23, 2020.

If Rabat makes more controversial statements, tensions with Algiers could escalate to economic and/or military actions.

The Risks of Algeria and Morocco’s Latest Diplomatic Row Over Western Sahara

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Guidance

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The European Union’s COVID-19 health certificate is seen on the screen of a phone in Brussels on June 16, 2021. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The EU Launches Its Vaccine Passport, OPEC+ Boosts Production

COVID-19

The Secretary-General of Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) holds a press conference on the party’s electoral victory in the capital of Algiers on June 16, 2021.

Many Algerians will view the ruling FLN party’s electoral victory as proof nothing has changed, portending more protests and unrest. 

Algeria’s First Post-Bouteflika Ballot Leaves His Party in Power

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OPEC headquarters on April 4, 2013, in Vienna. OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+ Stays the Course, Driving up Oil Price, Inflation Expectations

Vietnam

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U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks in the House Chamber during a reconvening of a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 7 takeover by right-wing protesters will remain in the spotlight even though his term will soon expire.

The Weekly Rundown: Fallout From the Capitol Siege, Possible Tariffs on Vietnam

Qatar

An oil tanker sails on Maracaibo Lake in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on March 15, 2019. OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

As Oil's Importance Fades, So Will OPEC

Austria

The energy ministries of Austria, Germany and Italy signed a joint letter supporting the designation of a hydrogen pipeline called the "SouthH2 Corridor" as a European Union Project of Common Interest, which would enable the project to receive public funds and fast-tracked permits, Reuters reported on May 9.

EU: Push for Hydrogen Pipeline Will Aid Bloc's Energy Transition

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is meeting Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Rabat, Morocco, after which he is expected to announce an 800 million euro ($869 million) credit line for Spanish investments in Morocco and as many as 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, Reuters reported Feb. 2.

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending a Gulf Cooperation Coucil-China summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then a broader China-Arab world summit, Agence France-Presse reported Dec. 9.

China, MENA: Summits Highlight Chinese Investment and Trade Across Arab World

The 31st summit of the Arab League began in Algiers, Algeria, AP reported Nov. 1.

Algeria: Algiers Hosts 31st Arab League Summit

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune chaired a meeting with Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane and several high-ranking officials to discuss fighting food speculation, Algeria Invest reported Oct. 11.

Algeria: Officials Discuss Aggressive Counter-Food Speculation Tactics

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Tunisia for consultations after Tunisia's President Kais Saied hosted Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario Front and the self-declared Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic, at a Japan-Africa investment conference in Tunis, France24 reported Aug. 27.

Tunisia, Morocco: Countries Recall Ambassadors Over Western Sahara Issue

Mali

Mali's ruling junta will meet with the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a coalition of formerly separatist Tuareg rebel groups that signed the 2015 Algiers peace deal, as well as loyalist Tuareg groups from Aug. 1-5, Radio France International reported Aug. 2.

Mali, Algeria: Junta to Meet With Northern Rebel Groups Following Pressure From Algiers

Algeria suspended its 2002 friendship treaty with Spain, and Algeria's bank association said it was cutting off payments to Spain for any goods other than natural gas, TSA reported June 9.

Algeria, Spain: End of Friendship Treaty May Harm Algiers More Than Madrid

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

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Algeria is located on the Mediterranean coast of Africa. The Sahara Desert rests along the country’s southern border, while the coastal plains of Tunisia and Morocco line its eastern and western edges. The Tell Atlas mountain chain splits the country between its desert interior and its temperate coast.     This coastal region supports Mediterranean agriculture, including olives, citrus, vines and vegetables. The country also boasts deposits of coal, iron and phosphates. But for the most part the energy sector dominates the Algerian economy, leaving the state exposed to the rise and fall of the oil market. Algeria’s Saharan interior, bordering Libya, Mali, Mauritania and the Western Sahara, plays host to many of the country’s oil and natural gas fields, which account for about 94 percent of Algerian exports.    Throughout Algeria’s history, most of its population has lived north of the Tell Atlas mountain chain. Because the nation’s power and politics center on the coastal cities of Algiers, Constantine and Oran, it has long been exposed to the influence and might of its neighbors rimming the Mediterranean Sea &mdash; especially northern powers such as ancient Rome and imperial France. But fortifying the coast comes at a price: The Algerian government’s grip is weaker in the desert interior, where the country is vulnerable to smuggling and infiltration from nearby countries.     Since gaining independence from France in 1962, Algeria has navigated between competing ideological forces like pan-Arabism, communism and political Islam. All of these belief systems came from other Mediterranean powers like as Egypt and France, transiting the coastal plains or the Mediterranean sea to reach Algeria. To avoid being subsumed into these various transnational movements, successful Algerian states have focused on controlling the country’s coastal heartland, extending power south of the Tell Atlas once this critical region is secure. 

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SITUATION REPORTS

EU: Push for Hydrogen Pipeline Will Aid Bloc's Energy Transition

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

China, MENA: Summits Highlight Chinese Investment and Trade Across Arab World

Algeria: Algiers Hosts 31st Arab League Summit

Algeria: Officials Discuss Aggressive Counter-Food Speculation Tactics

Tunisia, Morocco: Countries Recall Ambassadors Over Western Sahara Issue

Mali, Algeria: Junta to Meet With Northern Rebel Groups Following Pressure From Algiers

Algeria, Spain: End of Friendship Treaty May Harm Algiers More Than Madrid

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