Almost instantly, Algiers erupted. The junta denounced a “diplomatic scandal,” launched into cries of indignation, and repeated its tired refrain of an alleged “Franco-Moroccan-Zionist plot.” Once again, the Algerian regime showed its chronic inability to handle regional matters with dignity, choosing instead to weaponize the slightest image in order to fuel its propaganda campaign against Morocco and its allies.
An institutionalized paranoia
This episode vividly illustrates the institutional paranoia that plagues Algeria’s military leadership. Trapped in a permanent confrontation mindset, the regime desperately seeks to distract public opinion from the suffocating economic crisis, the suppression of freedoms, and the lack of democratic horizons at home. Rather than addressing its internal problems, the junta brandishes Morocco as a scapegoat — going so far as to accuse France of collusion over a harmless photograph.
A fit of rage that speaks volumes
This latest outburst from Algiers, triggered by a photo with no real diplomatic significance, speaks volumes about the regime’s growing fragility. Far from displaying strength, it underscores the nervousness of a power obsessed with Morocco, unable to confront its own failures, and locked into a sterile logic of confrontation with its neighbors and the wider world.
Translated from Abderrazzak Boussaid’s French article – le7tv