Lobbying 2015: US courts aloof Algeria in terror fight
Algeria, the desert giant at the crossroads of North Africa, is building ever-closer counterterrorism ties with the United States but is losing out to its historic rival Morocco in the disputed Western Sahara.
The United States is ramping up security, diplomatic and trade ties with Algeria in a bid for closer cooperation with North Africa's terror bulwark.
The State Department is once again seeking a $2.55 million anti-terrorism package this year while restarting trade and investment talks that had been on hiatus for more than a decade. And US diplomats are lavishing praise on the Saharan giant for its role mediating the crises in Mali and Libya.
"Our political cooperation remains absolutely critical, especially in the face of the growing instability throughout the region," US Secretary of State John Kerry said during the third session of the Strategic Dialogue with Algeria in April. "Here Algeria is playing an important, highly constructive role, and we're grateful for that."
The United States endorsed Algeria's support for a "national unity government" in Libya during the talks, a de facto repudiation of calls by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates for an outright defeat of the Islamists who have taken over Tripoli. The remarks are in stark contrast with US officials' private remarks disparaging the fiercely independent nation's go-it-alone attitude during the bloody hostage standoff at the In Amenas gas field two years ago.
