Rocky Harbors by Alterman Jon B.;

Author:Alterman, Jon B.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781442240971
Publisher: Center for Strategic & International Studies

7

Maghreb Rising: Competition and Realignment

HAIM MALKA

After decades on the margins of the Arab world, what happens in North Africa’s Maghreb region now reaches into its core.1 The “Arab West” captured attention in December 2010 when thousands of Tunisians took to the streets to protest former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s repressive rule. Those demonstrations sent shockwaves across the region and inspired millions of Arabs in Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, and elsewhere to rise up against authoritarian rulers.

Since December 2010 much has changed. Libya is divided by civil war and is destabilizing its neighbors, political Islamists won elections in Morocco, and Tunisia is on a fragile path toward more representative government after decades of dictatorship. These trends, combined with regional uncertainty, turmoil, and competition, increasingly affect the interests of a wide range of actors. No longer an outlier, the Maghreb is now an important strategic component of new regional alignments that have been coalescing since the uprisings.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Turkey have been the most assertive outside actors in the Maghreb. These governments seek to reshape regional alliances to protect national interests—and their hold on power. They desire deeper military, diplomatic, and economic partnerships with Maghreb states to expand their spheres of influence. Moreover, these new partnerships provide strategic benefits in what these governments view as long-term regional conflicts in which the United States is either indifferent or preoccupied with different objectives.

External actors are more willing than ever to expend significant political and financial capital to influence political outcomes in the Maghreb.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.