Amid today’s tangled geopolitical landscape, some alliances of convenience say more about a state's true priorities than its rhetoric. The recent convergence between former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and the Algerian regime over Western Sahara is a telling example.
As Mali faces a new wave of terrorist attacks, its Prime Minister has indirectly accused Algeria of financing extremist groups operating in the Sahel. Neighboring countries like Mauritania and Senegal are also vulnerable to the growing spread of these movements.
The bipartisan proposal to designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization is reshaping the diplomatic landscape surrounding the Western Sahara issue. While the bill alone does not guarantee the designation, it places unprecedented pressure on the U.S. State Department. What concrete impact could such a move have on the Sahrawi movement, its international backers, starting with Algeria, and the broader handling of the conflict in multilateral forums?