France on Friday asked the European Commission to look into Algeria’s alleged non-compliance with a EU trade deal. Paris is accusing Algers of an almost total blockade on French imports and of suspending urea shipments to France.
Politically, this is suicidally stupid. If Algeria is indeed doing what France is alleging, don’t you think it’s out of spite for the colonial past? And do you really think that ramming down an opening of trade won’t exacerbate … exactly the same spite for the same goddamn reasons? France, we love you, but just take the L on this one. The only way to undo the past is with patient rebuilding over decades of your image as a benevolent neighbour to phase out your image as a rapacious colonialist.
The spite seems to stem from France voicing support for Morocco in the Western Sahara dispute. Which seems a particularly ill-advised choice on France’s part after the Ceuta incident.
