North Africa is becoming a new arena for NATO's confrontation with Russia and China
North Africa is now included in the zone of strategic interests of NATO, as it is the arena of confrontation with Russia, writes Al Araby Al Jadeed. And Spain will play a significant role in this confrontation.
Abdel Hamid Idimager (عبد الحميد اجماهيري)
The new strategic concept of NATO placed North Africa in the alliance's strategic interests zone on the southern flank. Thus, the new military-political map of the organization for the first time recorded, frankly speaking, the front line shifted to the south, towards the black continent, although the main role in NATO's statements, documents and plans is occupied by the eastern flank of Europe, where Russia is conducting a military operation in Ukraine.
Moscow regarded this as a union of states against it. As Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko noted, the view of Russia as a direct threat that needs to be contained from all sides is a dangerous shift for it, since in the strategic concept of 2010 the country is considered as a NATO security partner.
Among the regions mentioned in the document that make up the arena of confrontation with Russia, North Africa is mentioned. Since the local scale of Moscow's influence varies in economic, military and other plans (in Libya, Algeria and Morocco), NATO's position on the region is determined by the course of voting against Russia on the Ukrainian file. As you know, Algeria abstained from voting, Mauritania condemned the Russian actions, and the representative of Morocco was absent from the UN session at all. We saw that the determining factor in the decision of each state is its national interest, but this did not prevent the further development of the situation and a clearer positioning in the upcoming conflict.
Perhaps one aspect that sheds light on the future of North Africa in the light of strategic developments is the role of Spain. It became decisive, because, one might say, she managed to draw up a new "road map" of the alliance and achieve its decisive adoption. In addition, Madrid has made every effort to successfully organize the summit. His goal was to reinforce the notion that the southern flank of the alliance is as important as the rest. As Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez put it: "We have made sure that the southern wing of NATO is not forgotten." Therefore, the role of Spain is an important key to understanding the current situation in North Africa and its prospects.
Spain has entered a new phase of strategic relations with Morocco and, thanks to its role in organizing the summit, has become a NATO representative on issues related to immigration and terrorism, and the advantage of the current situation with its southern neighbor is the conclusion of agreements worthy of the 21st century. Meanwhile, Mauritania has resumed the ratification of the Agreement on Cooperation, Good-Neighborliness and Friendship with Madrid, which it signed in 2008.
Spaniards keep their distance from Algeria because of the problem of Western Sahara, because they have made a historic decision that does not satisfy the Algerian state. The tense situation between them has led to the use of oil and gas as weapons, which NATO considers prohibited for use against any of its countries.
In the list of crises arising in the African space next to NATO, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned terrorism, illegal immigration, the threat of using gas and oil as weapons and so-called "hybrid wars", in which the territories of Northern Africa are either a source or an arena of conflict and the influence of external forces. Perhaps this is the meaning of the statements of the Secretary General of the alliance, when he noted that the member states are concerned about the desire of Russia and China for political, economic and military expansion on the southern borders of NATO. The alliance points to the instability that their increased influence can cause, and therefore it will convince its partners in the region to take a tough position on the principle of "whoever is not with us is against us."
China is on the front line, and for the first time the alliance decided to accuse it of creating systematic threats. If the rest of the world, especially in the Pacific region, has become an anti-Chinese front, then North Africa is concerned about the future of Beijing's strategic investments in the Mediterranean basin, sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. The Chinese state is expanding its influence in the region, especially in the economic sphere and as a strategic partner, although it does not have a formal and informal military presence there. He has strong relations with a NATO and European Union ally, Morocco, which diversified its relations with the decision of King Mohammed VI in 2016. And Mauritania also does not give up on the prospects of economic cooperation with Beijing. The same can be said about Algeria. We will limit ourselves to mentioning the Maghreb countries in the south of the Mediterranean because of their close contact with conflicting international players and their ability to influence and influence the region at this time.
The near future will not be rosy for the countries, except for those who were able to take a firm position on the trilateral war, which occupies all the thoughts of Europe, as well as another strategic issue of concern to NATO allies. In particular, these countries follow a reliable and convincing approach in the field of security. We are talking about the fight against terrorism, that is, a strategy to create conditions for stability and development, and political measures to protect sovereignty in the course of building an international partnership based on national interests. Probably the biggest mistake would be to choose a narrow view of the situation and refuse any cooperation and an outstretched hand to build an effective North African bloc capable of playing a role in achieving a global strategic balance. But that's another story!
