The scientific conference “Challenges and Threats to the Algerian State and Society: History and Modernity”, held recently at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IOS), brought together specialists representing academic institutions and leading universities in Russia. The agenda included a wide range of topics from Algeria’s energy strategy and its foreign policy to issues of cultural and national identification of society and cooperation between Moscow and Algeria.
Vasily Kuznetsov, Deputy Director of IOS, reflected on the role of historical memory in the development of modern Algeria. He compared the attitude towards this factor at the initial stage of Algeria’s independence with what is observed today. In his opinion, under President A. Tebboune, this component was reintroduced and employed in the interests of the country’s domestic and foreign policy.
On Algeria’s foreign policy priorities
Anastasia Vasilenko from IOS presented her vision of Algeria’s foreign policy priorities under the current president. The country has upped diplomatic activity, which was somewhat passive in the last years of the presidency of A. Bouteflika. In the policy documents adopted under A. Tebboune, two regions are highlighted in his speeches: the Arab world and Africa. The Maghreb region may also be added to this list, whose importance is stated in the constitution of the country.
According to the scientist, Tunisia is Algeria’s number one partner, and with Libya the focus is on security issues. Contacts with Morocco have been severed. Global and regional dynamics have allowed Algeria to return to world politics and to use its traditional foreign policy principles and slogans.
Professor Vladimir Orlov (Moscow State University) highlighted Algeria’s efforts in countering terrorism in the Sahara-Sahel region.
Grigory Lukyanov, researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Islamic Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, analysed the role of the Libyan crisis in light of Algerian security. According to him, the three neighbouring countries of Algeria, Libya and Tunisia have a common history and common interests.
On Algeria’s position vis-à-vis the Libyan crisis
Algeria wants to distance itself from the Libyan crisis, considering possible challenges from various armed groups from the territory of its neighbour, private military companies, raids by Tuareg Berbers etc. In an effort to maintain control over its borders, Algeria is building a wall on the borders with Libya to act as a barrier.
The conference participants examined the cultural and ideological cross-section of Algeria, the correlation of concepts such as tradition and modernisation in society. Dmitry Mikulsky, a well-known researcher of public thought in Islamic and a translator of Arabic classics, shared his vision of Algerian traditional culture following business trips to the African country.
‘Algeria through the eyes of eyewitnesses and in the mirror of culture (1962-2024)’ – this was the title of the report by S. V. Prozhogina, a connoisseur of Francophone literature of the Maghreb countries, the author of numerous monographs. She published her first book on this topic in 1968. Such topics as the phenomenon of ‘mujahideen’ (veterans of the anti-colonial struggle) in the Algerian government system, the youth policy of the country’s leadership etc. were also touched upon.
On the historical and current Russian-Algerian relations
Sergey Babkin, a leading researcher at IOS, touched upon the issues of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Algeria. He recalled that in 1956, during the anti-colonial struggle of the Algerians, its leaders expressed their readiness to accept weapons from the ‘Soviet bloc’. Since then, both sides have been cooperating in the military-defence sphere. Algeria has become a traditional buyer of Soviet and Russian weapons and equipment.
Such cooperation that has withstood the test of time shows the confidence of Algeria in Russia, the speaker concluded. In the speech of the author of this article, he emphasised that, with the assistance of Moscow, tens of key industrial facilities and five large technical universities have been built in various parts of the African country since its independence, producing countless local specialists.
Thus, over the years, a pyramid of bilateral cooperation has been built, at the top of which are political relations and contacts at the highest level. Its foundation is made up of broad ties in economic, scientific, technical, spiritual, humanitarian and other fields.
They have made Algeria one of Moscow’s most sought-after partners on the flank of its policy in the developing world, contributed to the diversification of our foreign economic activity and actively entered the markets of equipment and machinery in Asia and Africa.
Valuable experience of bilateral cooperation has been acquired. Modern challenges require expanding the range of business relations and entering new areas of economic cooperation.
In this regard, as noted at the conference, an important impetus was the visit to Russia in 2023 by Algerian President A. Tebboune and the signing of the Declaration of the In-depth Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, as well as 8 significant agreements in various areas of cooperation between the two countries.
In their speeches and during the discussion, the conference participants referred to the works of R. G. Landa (1931-2021), a leading figure of Russian oriental studies, the author of numerous works on the Maghreb countries, primarily Algeria, which have become classics.
His works are highly appreciated in Algeria. For his contribution to the study of the Algerian liberation movement, R. G. Landa was awarded the Order of Friendship by the Algerian President. He is deservedly considered the founder of the scientific school of Algerian studies in our country and has trained a sea of outstanding students. Today, these traditions are reflected in the works of a new generation of researchers.
The conference held in Moscow is an example of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary event and confirmed that Algeria remains a magnet attracting the traditional interest of the Russian scientific community. Algeria is perceived as a country with a rich history, saturated with turbulent socio-political events, and which has experienced critical civilizational transformations. The largest gas exporter on the continent. It has enormous natural resources and human capital. This opens up new horizons for Algeria on its path of progress in a rapidly changing world, against the background of the transition to multipolarity in international relations.
Yuri Zinin, senior researcher at the Center for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”