North Africa and the West

FROM TUNIS to Agadir, the territories of what has been French North Africa have entered a climactic period of nationalist ferment and political revolution. The former French protectorates of Morocco and Tunisia have won their independence; and by insurrection and terrorism the National Liberation Front of Algeria is seeking independence for that country, which as yet legally forms a part of the French Republic. Self-determination in North Africa comes at a difficult time for the North Atlantic community. The whole basis of unity and co-operation among Western states, and particularly among the members of the North Atlantic community, has been jeopardized by the relaxation of East-West tensions resulting from the warm smile and agility of current Soviet diplomacy. Morocco and Tunisia have gained their independence at a time when the reduced threat of military aggression has provoked a diplomatic reassessment of the whole system of Western co-operation. Diplomatic studies are being made on how to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). At the same time quarrels among North Atlantic community powers, such as that involving the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey over the control of Cyprus, threaten the solidarity of the Western community as already constituted. Such a time is scarcely auspicious for soliciting new members for the community. Yet, the newly won independence of Morocco and Tunisia and the nationalist rebellion in Algeria command the attention of the builders of Western unity. French North Africa is located in a key geographic position. It forms a direct link between southern Europe and the vastnesses of central and southern Africa. And because of its strategic location, North Africa is part of an international triangle. It is susceptible to the competing attractions of the North Atlantic community and the Arab-Moslem community. The success of the North Atlantic community in this competition will depend upon several factors. One is the extent to which its case for North African participation in Western integration has been made convincingly in terms of a freely contracted association among equals, and not as a means of perpetuating colonial privilege. Another is the ability of the Western powers to strengthen their case by strengthening and extending their own integration. And equally crucial is the ability of France to bring a halt to the fighting in Algeria and to accommodate to the exigencies of Arab nationalism throughout North Africa

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