Politics Bound

Saudi–Emirati tensions over Yemen have reignited a debate about how the United Arab Emirates projects power beyond the Gulf, particularly across Africa and the Maghreb. The public rupture with Saudi Arabia over Yemen has drawn attention to a broader pattern in which Abu Dhabi is accused of using proxy actors, military support, media influence, and selective alliances to shape outcomes in fragile conflict zones. From Libya and Sudan to the Western Sahara file, the UAE has emerged as a consequential external actor whose involvement often intersects with local rivalries, unresolved conflicts, and competing regional interests.

U.S. airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria mark a rare moment in which a long-running domestic security crisis crossed into direct American military involvement. While Nigerian forces have relied on aerial bombardment for years against insurgents and armed groups, the decision to authorize U.S. strikes introduces new political signaling, diplomatic pressure, and strategic implications. This analysis examines why the intervention occurred now, how it differs from Nigeria’s own military operations, and what it reveals about the growing internationalization of conflict in West Africa.

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.