French Historian Dubs Macron’s Policy Towards Algeria, A Dismal Failure

French historian Pierre Vermeren judged French President Emmanuel Macron’s policy towards Algeria a failure, about a year before the end of his second presidential term, which witnessed the most dangerous crisis to hit bilateral relations since de Gaulle’s France was defeated by the Algerian Revolution in the early 1960s.

The author of the book “France and Algeria: From 1962 to the Present Day: A History of a Pathological Relationship,” published last month, said that “France’s policy towards Algeria under President Macron did not achieve what was hoped for, despite the concessions he made, especially regarding memory, and despite his recognition of guilt on behalf of the French state,” referring to his acknowledgment that Algeria was subjected to a war of extermination and heinous crimes against humanity by the French occupation army during the colonial era.

The French academic, who is associated with right-wing circles, explained in an interview with “Sud Radio” last Monday that he holds the French President responsible for this dismal failure, because the Élysée Palace, as he said, is the one that formulates and implements France’s foreign policy, quoting a statement attributed to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in which he said that he “judges the French state based on the positions of the Élysée Palace.”

Pierre Vermeren stated that the results of Emmanuel Macron’s term regarding relations with Algeria are considered the worst compared to the three presidents who preceded him at the Élysée Palace, referring to Jacques Chirac, then Nicolas Sarkozy, and then François Hollande.

He pointed out that Macron visited Algeria more than once and worked to make relations with it stronger than those linking Paris with the Moroccan regime, but he did not achieve what he aspired to, which he considered a “dismal failure.”

The professor at “Paris 1” Panthéon-Sorbonne University highlighted some of the failures that characterized Macron’s policy towards Algeria, saying that trade relations between the two countries are in their worst state, while the influence of other competing countries, such as China, Italy, the United States, and Germany, is rising.

The master of the Élysée Palace also failed to resolve the memory file, which has often poisoned bilateral relations, despite “France’s recognition of regret,” in his words, for the period of French occupation, which has not happened to this day, unless he was referring to his famous statement when he visited Algeria in 2017 as a presidential candidate. Pierre Vermeren also pointed out the suspension of the work of the mixed committee of historians to examine the memory file before it completed its tasks.

Pierre Vermeren admitted that Algeria’s policy regarding the memory file has exhausted French presidents, and Macron was the most affected by this policy. Despite his attempts to downplay the crimes of French colonialism, he admitted that serious abuses occurred against the Algerian people from the very beginning of the occupation, holding some French army leaders responsible, such as the sinister criminal Bugeaud, who committed the “Aoufia massacre.”

The historian also spoke about the French President’s failure to manage the immigration file, despite his decision to activate a firm policy towards Algeria in line with the line of former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who tried to impose a fait accompli away from diplomatic norms, which ultimately led to the French side being in a difficult position, with Algeria refusing to receive deportees outside bilateral consular agreements.

In a rare stance, the historian admitted France’s defeat by Algeria in the War of Independence, and said that General de Gaulle accepted this defeat.