For years, Algeria’s authoritarian regime has appeared impervious to international condemnation, diplomatic resolutions, and recommendations adopted by several regional powers. Despite recurring criticism over the repression of the opposition, violations of civil liberties, and the concentration of power, the regime has remained firmly entrenched.
According to several UN analysts, only one power currently possesses sufficient economic, financial, and diplomatic leverage to compel Algeria’s leaders to reconsider their position: the administration of President Donald Trump.
« No other nation possesses a comparable network of influence, » says an international relations specialist. « The United States has a unique ability to coordinate financial sanctions, mobilize its allies, and exert pressure on global economic and military networks. »
In the case of the military regime of General Saïd Chengriha and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which has adopted a defiant stance toward the United States and the West, several observers believe that sanctions targeting senior political leaders, state-controlled companies, and financial networks close to the ruling establishment could transform the despotic system, as in Iran, Venezuela, and soon Cuba.
Currently, the U.S. sanctions framework is based on measures targeting Iran’s oil, banking, and maritime sectors, as well as sanctions against officials, companies, and entities accused of participating in ballistic missile and nuclear programs or supporting organizations designated as terrorist groups by the United States.
Washington and Tel Aviv have long accused Iran of providing financial, logistical, military, and political support to several armed groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, the various Shiite militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, Islamist jihadists in the Sahel, and the Polisario in Algeria.
Tehran acknowledges supporting what it calls the « Axis of Resistance » against Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while rejecting accusations that it directly directs the operations of these terrorist groups.