[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Maghreb and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Maghreb Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com by Thursday night of every week.]
Algeria
Algeria: has the post-Bouteflika era already begun? Hicham Yezza probes the significance of Bouteflika’s illness and draws attention to the unabated protest in Algeria.
Algérie / L’article 88 de la constitution en théorie. Baki “7our” Mansour explores what would theoretically happen if Bouteflika was not fit to lead the country, based on the Algerian constitution.
Tizi-Ouzou : 2.500 travailleurs paralysent l’Eniem Imene Brahimi describes how two thousand five hundred striking workers shut down Iniem, the national appliance making company.
Alliance islamistes démocrates, la seule véritable alternative. Djameldine Benchenouf declares that the time is ripe for an alliance between democratic and Islamic currents in politics.
Libya
Women face challenges as Libya moves toward a new constitution Samer Muscati and Hanan Salah discuss the challenges for women as the foundations are laid for a new Libya.
Clouds over Tripoli Rhiannon Smith describes political challenges in Libya, pointing to the political isolation law and the writing of a new constitution.
محمد اقميع: المليشيات والولاءات الجانبية مشروع لتفتيت ليبيا Mohamed Aqmia expresses concern and frustration over the Libyan government’s ineffectiveness in addressing Libya’s security situation.
Mauritania
Le comité des nations unies contre la torture, lors de sa cinquième session tenue du 06 au 31 mais 2013, a adopté des « observations finales » sur le rapport présenté par la Mauritanie. The UN Commission Against Torture issues its final report on Mauritania, calling attention to practices of slavery, racism and secret detention.
Les élections « techniquement impossibles » en octobre 2013 Md O Md Lemine describes the technical impossiblity of holding free and fair elections in Mauritania by October.
Coordination de l’Opposition Démocratique : Communiqué A coalition of democratic opposition parties concludes their conference and issues a communiqué stating the need to address public health crises, drug mafia and state violence against civilians.
Morocco
Al Hoceima : un militant du 20 Février condamné à deux ans de prison Lakome reports that a 20 February activist was sentenced to two years in prison for participating in demonstrations in Al Hoceima.
Maroc : Mohammed VI serait "malade" dans son château en France Enoch El Fassi suggests that King Mohammed VI is sick and convalescing at his chateau in France.
Al Adl Wal Ishane appelle à un dialogue national «sans exclusion ni lignes rouges» After holding their fourteenth session of the shura council, Al Adl Wal Ihsane calls for a unification of efforts in establishing democracy.
فاطمة الإفريقي : من قال إن 20 فبراير قد ماتت ؟ رأيت روحها متوهجة هذا المساء بشوارع الرباط. Fatima Afriquia describes the new life of the 20 February movement, with photos and videos.
Le PJD cherche-t-il à avoir la peau du Festival Mawazine ? Yassine Kaouti explores the politics of the recent Mawazine festival.
Tunisia
Tunisia: Bystanders Shot in Clash with Police Human Rights Watch publishes a report, concluding that police used deadly force against protesters on 19 May.
Gabès, cité antique de Takapes : une terre maudite ? Ferid Rahali outlines the horrible climate situation in the region south of Tunis.
Lettre ouverte des protestataires d’Istanbul au peuple de Tunisie Turkish protesters in Istanbul write a letter to the people of Tunisia asking for their support.
Western Sahara
Sahara : le ministère de la Communication tente de justifier l`expulsion de journalistes Lakome reports on Communication Minister Mustapha Khalfi’s attempts to justify the expulsion of a journalist from Laayoune.
RSF condamne les récentes entraves à la liberté d’information au Sahara occidental Reporters Without Borders condemns Morocco’s treatment of journalists in Western Sahara.
AU to Morocco - End the Occupation of Western Sahara and Stop Persecuting Sahrawi People The African Union implores Morocco to end its occupation of Western Sahara.
Recent Jadaliyya Articles on the Maghreb
Erdogan in Morocco: The Politics of Reception Samia Errazzouki analyzes Erdogan’s visit to Morocco, where he met not King Mohammed VI, but an increasingly isolated Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane.
Roundtable Introduction: Beyond Dominant Narratives on the Western Sahara Samia Errazzouki and Allison McManus introduce a roundtable of articles on the contours of the Western Saharan “cold war.”
The Last Colony Stephen Zunes sheds light on Morocco’s policies towards the territory and its people, including human rights abuses and policies of settlement.
US Policy Between a Rock and a Hard Place John P. Entelis explores the Western Sahara’s significance for the region, particularly as the conflict has been mobilized in narratives of decolonization both in Algeria and Morocco.
The Cost of Authoritarianism Aboubakr Jamaï and Ali Anouzla underscore the intensification of the call for self-determination in recent years.
Global Geopolitics of the Western Sahara Allison L. McManus places the conflict in a global context, examining the role of the United Nations as a mediator.
Lost in the Debate Samia Errazzouki examines the discourse surrounding the Western Sahara conflict as a political tool that comes at the expense of the Sahrawi population.
The Last Colony: Photo Essay Andrew McConnell offers images of Sahrawis living in the refugee camps in Algeria, the Moroccan controlled side of the territory, as well as the Polisario controlled side, offering a unique perspective of life under the conflict
Bouteflika : Le mage et l`écran de fumée Thomas Serres addresses rumors in his reflections on the life and recent illness of Abdelaziz Bouteflika (In English here)
Picturing Algeria Muriam Haleh Davis reviews Picturing Algeria, an edited volume of Pierre Boudieu’s photographs of Algeria during the struggle for independence between 1957 and 1960.