In recent years, with a bewildering acceleration over the past few months, a considerable shift has taken place in the Algerian regime’s approach. Western Sahara is no longer presented merely as an issue of decolonization, or of solidarity with the Polisario and the SADR. It is now officially a matter of national security, accorded the highest priority. Words have meaning. When a state turns one external issue among many into a priority matter of national security, it changes the very nature of the problem. What is happening?
