Politics Bound

Spies, Lies, and a Border Overrun: Morocco’s Bad WeekF

Morocco is facing scrutiny on two fronts this summer: a corroborated investigation alleging systematic use of Pegasus spyware against journalists and foreign officials, and a fresh migrant surge into Ceuta that echoes the 2021 border crisis. Both developments draw scrutiny of Morocco from European governments and beyond, each for different reasons — one a question of covert surveillance, the other of border management under pressure.

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Behind the Algeria-Mali Rapprochement: Security, Trade and a Sahel Reorder$

A tactical thaw in the Sahel is reshaping Algeria’s ties with Mali, but the deeper conflict over northern Mali remains unresolved.

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While its Minorities are Winning World Cup Games, France is Preparing to Pivot to the Far Right$

As France’s multiethnic World Cup squad marches toward the semifinals, the country’s 2027 presidential race is tilting hard right. Right-winger Marine Le Pen leads first-round polling and beats nearly every rival in hypothetical runoffs. With RN president Jordan Bardella waiting in the wings and Jean-Luc Mélenchon consolidating the left, France’s fractured center may not be able to stop either a far-right or hard-left runoff in 2027. Here is our take.

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Libya: Washington’s Libya Plan Would Install Haftar’s Son as President. Libya’s Institutions Are Saying No$

Washington’s power-sharing plan for Libya would install Saddam Haftar as president while Abdulhamid Dbeibah remains prime minister. But Libya’s High Council of State, Misrata’s leadership, and Grand Mufti Sadiq al-Gharyani have all rejected it, while the UN’s separate 4+4 committee is quietly producing the actual roadmap Washington’s plan still lacks.

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