French Diplomacy Towards Algeria: A Colonial Legacy in Diplomatic Attire
By: Djamel Ben Ali
More than sixty years after the end of French colonial rule in Algeria, French diplomacy still often behaves as if Algeria remains within its geopolitical orbit. Despite the changing political faces in Paris, certain unspoken constants in France’s foreign policy reveal a deep-rooted colonial mindset, subtly present at times, overtly provocative at others.
France has yet to fully address its colonial past. Despite historical documentation and individual acknowledgments of the brutality of colonization, official Paris still avoids issuing a clear apology for its crimes in Algeria, preferring to refer to “painful shared pages,” as though the colonizer and the colonized share equal blame.
This historical blurring is no accident. It reflects a worldview in which France continues to see Algeria as a zone of privileged influence—geopolitically, economically, and culturally
France often approaches cooperation with Algeria not as an equal partner, but from a position of superiority.
This veiled diplomacy is aimed at maintaining influence in key sectors such as education, culture, economy, and energy.
Additionally, francophone lobbies within Algeria often act as soft power extensions of French diplomacy, complicating Algeria’s cultural independence and efforts to diversify its international partnerships.
On regional and international fronts, France frequently adopts ambiguous or contradictory stances on issues that affect Algeria’s vital interests. From Libya to Mali and the Sahel, Paris often supports choices at odds with Algeria’s strategic vision, and attempts to sideline Algeria’s influence in Africa.
The issue of immigration and repeated political debates about Algerians in France are also used as diplomatic pressure tools, reinforcing this pattern of instrumentalized diplomacy.
Today’s Algeria is no longer the one Paris once addressed with patronizing language. Through diversified partnerships with countries like China, Russia, and Turkey, and a more assertive role in Africa, Algeria is rebuilding the power balance in its foreign relations, moving decisively away from dependency or nostalgic ties.
France must now adapt to this new reality and abandon its colonial reflexes if it wishes to engage with Algeria on the basis of mutual respect and equal sovereignty.
French diplomacy towards Algeria remains entangled in the shadows of its colonial past. If Paris truly seeks a future-oriented partnership, it must free itself from the illusion of dominance and recognize Algeria as an independent, sovereign actor on the international stage—not a relic of its former empire.
