Camille Bonora
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Camille Bonora France's Algeria Policy (1988-1995) Discourse, Motives and Means Submitted in accordancewith the requirementsfor the degreeof Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds, Department of Politics September 1995 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where referencehas been made to the work of others. i Abstract France's Algeria Policy (1988-1995). Discourse, Motives and Means is a study of the French responseto political upheavalsin Algeria. The October 1988 riots in Algeria sparked off a fast-track democratisation process which was, however, rapidly brought to an end. Following Algeria's Winter 1991/92 first free parliamentary elections through which Islamism imposed itself as the most popular form of political change, a coup d'etat was staged by the Military -- the everlasting nucleus of power in Algeria. Since the coup d'dtat in January 1992 and the subsequentclobbering of the Islamist opposition, Algeria has foundered in a sea of violence. Until now, all political initiatives to bring back the country on the path of civil peacehave failed. Starting from the premise that France's long-run foreign policy objective has always been to preserve its rank as Algeria's "senior foreign partner", this study seeks to determine what policy Franceimplemented in order to achieve its goal in the context of Algeria's turmoil. The central finding brought to the fore in this thesis is that France's Algeria policy was a shifting policy. From the 1992 coup d'dtat until the May 1995 French presidential elections, shifts in policy occurred both under the Left and the Right. In successive stages, the socialist Cresson and Beregovoy governments as well as the right-wing Balladur government supported both "conciliation" and "eradication" in Algeria, which translated into varying degrees of support to the Algerian new rulers. France's shifts from supporting conciliation to backing eradication (January 1993) and from buttressing eradication to calling for conciliation (September 1994) are analysed in the light of three themes that permeate this study : discourse, motives and means. n Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................... Contents ü Table of .............................................................................. List Tables Vi of .................................................................................. Abbreviations Vii ................................................................................. Acknowledgments ix ............................................................................. Introduction 1 .............................................................................. Part One Words Deeds 10 and ..................................................................... Chapter One The socialist governments (October 1988 - March 1993) 12 ............................................................................ 1. Franco-Algerian in 1980s 13 relations the ........................................ 1.1. Evolution from 1981 1988 14 to ........................................ 1.2. Changes in Algeria under Chadli and their welcoming in Paris (1979-1988) 17 ..................................................... 1.2.1. Economic liberalisation 18 ................................... 1.2.2. Algeria's retreat from activism and radicalism in Third World 20 politics ....................................... 2. French support to Chadli Benjedid's economic and political (October 1988 January 1992) 25 liberalisation policy - ........................ 2.1. The October 1988 uprising and the French response: non- interference 26 and solidarity ............................................ m 2.2. France stands behind Algeria's political and economic liberalisation (October 1988 June 1991) 29 - ......................... 2.2.1. Liberalisation in Algeria 29 .................................. 2.2.2. French 34 support ............................................. 2.3. The Quai d'Orsay urges elections (June - December 1991) 40 ................................................................... 2.3.1. The June 1991 in Algeria 40 events ......................... 2.3.2. France 41 urgeselections .................................... 3. A hesitating (Winter 1992 Winter 1993) 45 support - .......................... 3.1. Political in Algeria 46 upheavals ........................................ 3.1.1. The d'dtat 46 coup ............................................ 3.1.2. The Boudiaf leadership (January 1992 - June 1992) 48 ........................................................ 3.1.3. The Boumedienists' 52 comeback ....................:..... 3.2. France's (January 1992 January 1993) 54 mixed support - ........ 3.2.1. The French d'dtat 54 responseto the coup ................. 3.2.2. A 60 strainedrelationship .................................... 65 4. Friendship otherwise than just with words (January - March 1993)...... 4.1. Dumas in Algiers Abdesselamin Paris 65 - ........................... 4.2. Unclear 68 motives ....................................................... Chapter Two The Balladur (April 1993 May 1995) 71 government - ............ 1. Domestic in Algeria 72 politics ..................................................... 1.1. Failed dialogue 72 attemptsat political ................................. 1.1.1. The dialogue legitimacy 73 aim of the : ..................... 1.1.2. Dialogue FIS 75 with the ..................................... 1.2. ReschedulingAlgeria's foreign debt 90 ................................ 2. The French Balladur 93 meandersof policy under .............................. 2.1. Buttressing the eradicators(April 1993 - September 1994)...... 94 2.1.1. The discourse 94 official ..................................... 2.1.2. Putting the discourseto the test : ambiguities and 98 contradictions.............................................. 2.1.3. Bilateral 105-_ and multilateral support: the means ........ iv 2.2. Greater firmness towards the eradicators (September 1994 May 1995) 117 - .......................................................... 2.2.1. The Juppd/Pasqua 118 split ................................. 2.2.2. Causes and limits of Juppd's shift towards 127 conciliation ............................................... Part Two Motives 139 ................................................................................... Chapter Three Perceived risks, ideological and psychological bearings .................................................................................. 140 1. Bandwagoning in the Mediterranean 143 ......................................... 1.1. Falling dominoes their foreseen 144 and consequences............. 1.2. Promoting initiatives for 145 regional stability ....................... 2. Immigration issues 149 ............................................................. 2.1. Politically-driven immigration from Algeria : concerns and 149 restriction ............................................................. 2.1.1. An immigration wave : governmental hypotheses 150 and concerns............................................. 2.1.2. Restricting 157 entries ....................................... 2.2. The FIS the Muslim in France 160 and community .................. 2.2.1. Attitudes towards the FIS 161 .............................. 2.2.2. The FIS 166 and re-Islamisation ............................ 3. National the terrorist issue 171 security : ......................................... 3.1. Threats France 172 against .............................................. 3.2. From fearing terrorist in France 173 attacks .......................... 3.3. to the FIS 175 ... opposing ............................................. V 4. Economic limited 176 relations : risks ............................................ foreseen 177 4.1. No questioning of the economic relationship ......... 4.1. Trade 179 relations....................................................... 4.1.1. Asymmetry decline 179 and ................................. 4.1.2. French Algeria 180 exports to ............................... 4.1.3. French imports from Algeria 182 ........................... 4.2. French direct investment 193 ........................................... 4.3. Financial 196 relations................................................... 4.3.1. No 197 personalaudit possible............................. 4.3.2. No back ? 201 paying ........................................ 5. The ideological dimensions 203 and psychological ............................. 5.1. An ? 204 economicist view .............................................. 5.1.1. Islamism in Algeria 205 : explanations ..................... 5.1.2. French truncated perceptions of Algerian society.... 210 5.2. Ideological 213 and psychological motives ........................... 5.2.1. Islamism and the challenge to Western ideological hegemony 213 and cultural .................... 5.2.2. The FIS vote :a psychological trauma for France 217 ..................................................... Conclusion 223 ............................................................................. Bibliography 231 .......................................................................... vi List of Tables Table 1 French Algerian 1988-95 11 and governments, ........................................ Table 2 Results Algerian local June 1990 33 of the and regional elections, ................... Table 3 Results of the first round of the Algerian parliamentary