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Moroccan-Algerian arms race update

September 18, 2009

UAV à l'algérienne

Moroccan-Algerian arms purchase update, courtesy of A Moroccan about the world around him. Title of his post: “Are Morocco and Algeria gearing up for an arms race?”.

I’d say this has been a certified arms race since at least 2006: the question is when it is going to stop.

18 Comments leave one →
  1. Tidinit permalink
    September 21, 2009 18:10

    Alle,

    According to my latest reading, these guys are not going to stop untilthe Sahara issue is solved to both liking. Where have I read recently that Algeria is into nuclear business? If that is true, don’t expect Libya and Morocco to stay iddle. Tunisia may just join. Will find the article and drop the link here.

  2. September 22, 2009 09:34

    the political situation between morocco and algeria is not in good shape, and it will never be ,
    morocco and algeria is a total contradiction , morocco is a democratic regim , open to the west , a country which improves it s human right agenda to good extend ,a member of a N.A.T.O , a country of old civilisation , and considered the oldest monarchy on earth.
    Algeria is a country with no political stability , terrorism , a country manage by military power who doesnt know anything about politic.a country who oppose to open borders because they fear the algerian citizen observe the progress and the better life moroccan enjoy without producing oil, even the poor in morocco eat great.
    a country which produces a great quantity of gaz , and their citizen dont find what to eat . a country who support separatist against morocco to promote instability in the region , and stop prosperity by stoping the birth of maghreb arab union,
    allthose factors will lead morocco to add strenth tos trenth to his army to face algeria , or to make astop to the irresponsible harrassement to the cherifien kingdom of morocco ,

    all those factors will lead to a war , which will make the regim in algeria weak ,and free algerian people from the military regim .

    • September 26, 2009 21:56

      analytics,

      We have already heard this song. Since a long time Morocco propagates that Algeria tries to be a nuclear power.

      • September 27, 2009 02:06

        Diaspora Sahraouie,
        We’re not doing the blame game here, so stop being on the defensive. I never talked about Algerian nuclear weapons. But since you seem so offended by the topic, I’ll refer you to the early 1990s and the Algerian storm that took Washington by surprise. It was such a serious matter that it got 3 of the 5 permanent members of the Security Council to make statements on it. If you have time then you might wanna check all the following documents that not only shed more light on the issue, but also demonstrate that Morocco has nothing to do with it, for once :).

        Click to access Algeria-1.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-2.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-3.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-4.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-5a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-5b.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-6a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-7.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-8a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-8b.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-9.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-10.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-11.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-12.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-13.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-14.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-15a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-15b.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-16.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-17a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-17b.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-18.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-19.pdf

        Reactions after the 1991 New York Times article (“Algerian Reactor: A Chinese Export”) on the matter:

        Click to access Algeria-21a.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-21b.pdf

        Click to access Algeria-21c.pdf

        Peace

        • September 27, 2009 12:00

          These documents are the irrefutable proof of my suspictions. And if I am always in the defensive it is because you, Moroccan, you have an annoying tendency to demonize Algeria and make her guilty of all the troubles of Morocco and you never have a small thought for what sahraoui people want to make of his fate.

          • September 27, 2009 13:57

            Man, you really have a serious problem. Can’t we have a decent and responsible conversation here? I just posted tens of unclassified docs that pertain to that issue and all you had to say is “you Moroccans” bla bla bla… ?? Now, I’ll recommend you go back to the documents, have a close look at them, and come back with a response of the kind that critical bloggers such as the ones on this blog would come up with. If you’re just gonna make another of your statements then please spare me that pain… Jeez

            Analitikis

            • September 27, 2009 14:05

              and by the way, I know exactly what the Sahrawi people go through and I completely empathize with them. Your behavior is simply alienating and doesn’t do your argument any good.
              Now let me remind you that the topic was about Algerian nuclear ambitions. It’s not about the Sahrawis, so chill out (I do have a post on the WS conflict on my blog if you’d like to comment on it).

              • September 27, 2009 14:25

                Oh, yeah! I want to see your blog. Please give me its adress

                • September 27, 2009 14:26

                  You can just click on my name.
                  (analitikis.wordpress.com)

                  Peace

                  • September 27, 2009 18:33

                    You say that you empathize with sahrawi and in your very recent blog you curiously try to discredit the work of a sahraoui researcher. At first because he is a representative of the Polisario in USA then because he does not speak about the influence of Algeria in the conflict because as you say Algeria is the main financial and logistical supporter of the movement, and the real sovereign administrator of the refugee camps as demonstrated in the recent Algerian government’s refusal to allow the UNHCR to conduct a census of a population it’s supposed to protect.
                    Sorry, my friend but what I see there is just the speech of the domestic affairs minstry of Morocco and his obsession to show Algeria as only opponent in the conflict of Sahara.

                    • September 27, 2009 18:59

                      As a researcher myself, I posted a critique to Dr. Omar’s piece which I thought was excellent but had several flaws that I outlined. Now, instead of engaging me on my arguments you decide to accuse me of being an agent of Morocco. Allow me to tell you that you have demonstrated much more zeal and fanaticism on the WS issue than I have which would make people wonder who’s the real “agent” here. It’s easy to attack people right and left but very difficult to engage them at the intellectual level; you clearly have chosen the easy path.

                      If you read my post you’d notice that I restrained myself from doing the guilty by association thing with Dr. Omar’s work. He clearly is a very informed man who’s work I find respectable. As for the effective administration of its own territory, the recent events (the Algerian refusal of an UNHCR census) were an indicator of the party that had the ultimate say on what, how and when to do things that have the potential to change the conflict structure, and the census is one of those “things”. That’s at least my reading of these events and I’m happy to hear your take on them.

                      Peace

  3. September 26, 2009 18:39

    This story of race in the armament is only a false alarm. Morocco, every time it feels that goes badly on the file of the Western Sahara shouts in the danger of the terrorism as two days ago, on the occasion of the General Assembly 64th session of United Nations, the MAP agency announced the dismantling of a recruiters’ network for Al Qaida in the border between the Mauritania and the Western Sahara. For years Morocco tries to demonize sahraouis. And when it is not the fear of the terrorism, drugs and immigration, it is the risk of a war between Algeria and Morocco.
    It is just to scatter the fear of an explosion in the region. In this purpose, Morocco has never stopped the verbal attacks against Algeria to give the impression that there is a risk of confrontation between both countries. It is the psychological warfare and it is especially intended for the western countries.

  4. September 26, 2009 20:26

    There is most definitely an arms race. Both states have been purchasing arms for many billions of dollars these last years, including a complete restoration of their airforces. That is not propaganda, whatever else may be.

  5. September 27, 2009 19:37

    You see only the refusal of the Algeria to make the census of the refugees but you don’t see another point much graver matter: the refusal of Morocco to let the MINURSO monitoring human rights in these camps and in the part controled by Morocco. The violations of human rights committed by Morocco are much graver than the refusal of Algeria to list the refugees. But somebody for whom the fate of sahrawis is the last concern, it has no importance.
    You said in your article :”It violates one of the central assumptions of the Rice framework. Third-kind wars are firstly non-conventional WARS, in which a state is FIGHTING a guerrilla that uses guerrilla warfare strategies. The Western Sahara conflict could only be considered a war of the third kind during the first years of the conflict when war was waged and the Polisario was not an exiled movement.”
    For me, this argument recovers downright from the dialectical diarrhea.
    Another curious thing. As I said, you have only to posts in your recent blog, and the first one of them is to discredit a polisario work. Sincerely, I found that very curious, and in the second when you talk about the king you say HM. Hmmmm, to much fidelity to HM.

    • September 27, 2009 23:50

      Dialectical diarrhea! Well, at least I’m not the constipated one here…

      You’re trying to make me be on the defensive but unfortunately for you I’m not willing to. If you have a constructive comment on my post you’re very welcome to share it with me and other readers. If not, then please spare me and the other bloggers your insults. But let me say this, I think that as a Sahrawi activist blogger you’re predisposed to perceive any body who’s critical of the Polisario and/or Algeria as a Moroccan agent, while missing the real intent of these posts. Case in point, you’re talking about my fidelity to His Majesty (HM) and failed to notice that the post in question is quite the opposite of a flattering one to the Royal family.

      Peace

  6. guest permalink
    December 25, 2010 09:18

    MR SAHRAOUI : until recently Algeria did have a clandestine nuclear program when it was discovered by American spy satellite they had to abandon it and continue thier research in Argentinian and Chinese reactor which bay the way use heavy water, shortly after that algeria signed the NPT agreement , SAHRAOUI the way you been defending Algeria more than anything elss proves that the POLISARIO are mercenaries created by Algeria, MR SAHRAOUI i have one request from you since your a smart person why don’t you take look at the Algerian MAP before the french occupation you will find that the size of your beloved Algeria was 60% less than what it is today, the french stole land from neighboring countries and add it to thier favorite colony Algeria for a variety of reasons , SAHRAOUI if you study history from ADAM to 2010 you will never find a trace of your fictional Sahara republic throughout history, cessation is a crime punishable by death in all countries from France to Russia to united states etc……

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