| | Comment on the Briefing by Mustafa Barth in the last issue of ROAPE entitled 'Sand Castles in the Sahara: US Military Basing in Algeria' . The Briefing covered three areas: how North-West Africa fits into America's imperial grand design; developments in US-Algerian relations and the events surrounding the abduction of 32 European tourists in the Algerian Sahara in 2003. There is nothing with which I would take issue in the case of the first two points. Indeed, they provide an accurate account of US strategic interests and concerns in this part of Africa and the increasingly close relationship between the two countries as allies in the 'War on Terror' . Since the Briefing was written, a number of senior US officials have visited Algiers. US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to Algiers on 3 December during which he confirmed that the United States was willing to help Algeria fight Islamic militants, was followed by a follow-up visit on 24 January by US Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Lorne W Craner, during which he reiterated the US's strong relations with Algeria in the fight against terrorism. He also pushed the Human Rights and Democracy buttons by saying that Algeria had the capacity to move forwards in these fields. |
