Briefs Bound

After several years of economic disruption, Tunisia recorded measurable signs of stabilization in 2025. Growth accelerated modestly, inflation eased, and key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and services supported the recovery. Improved financial indicators, including stronger foreign investment and higher reserves, contributed to cautious optimism. At the same time, structural constraints, employment pressures, and external uncertainty continue to limit the pace of expansion. As Tunisia enters 2026 with a higher growth target, the central question is whether recent gains can be sustained and translated into durable job creation and long-term economic resilience.

Algeria’s foreign policy operates on two distinct tracks: strained relations with France shaped by unresolved colonial grievances and demands for formal apologies, versus pragmatic stability with the United States built on security cooperation and mutual interests. While bilateral tensions with France affect diplomatic trust despite ongoing cooperation in trade and security, the US relationship remains transactional and avoided historical complications even during the Trump administration. Algeria pursues diplomatic diversification across multiple powers to maintain strategic autonomy rather than replacing one partner with another.

Algeria’s National People’s Assembly unanimously approved legislation designating French colonization as a crime and establishing legal grounds for reparations. The law lists imprescriptible crimes including nuclear testing, extrajudicial executions, torture, and resource exploitation. While symbolically significant, experts note the law has no international legal standing to compel France, though it marks a definitive shift in the bilateral memory relationship.

Egypt’s long-term gas import agreement with Israel secures critical supply at a time of domestic energy strain and regional instability, reinforcing Cairo’s role as an Eastern Mediterranean gas hub while exposing both sides to strategic and political trade-offs.