Algeria is actively courting US energy companies in a bid to influence US policy on Morocco’s Western Sahara. The country is reportedly nearing deals with Exxon Mobil and Chevron to tap into its shale gas reserves, a move that highlights Algeria’s focus on boosting state revenue, which relies heavily on hydrocarbons.
These efforts coincide with meetings between Algerian President Tebboune and both companies, showcasing Algeria’s strategy to leverage its energy resources for strategic influence in Washington, especially in efforts to prevent the US from designating the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization.
This push comes as the US prepares to apply greater pressure on Algeria, including demanding the disarmament of the Polisario and threatening sanctions, aiming to force Algeria to accept Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The risk for Algeria is clear: if the Polisario is labeled a terrorist group, Algeria would be exposed as a state sponsor of terrorism, further isolating it on the global stage.
Algeria has long used its gas reserves as a political tool, attempting to manipulate international capitals and prolong the Western Sahara dispute. Despite this, the tide has shifted significantly in favor of Morocco, whose autonomy plan for the region has gained increasing international support. The US has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara since 2020, a position that successive administrations have consistently reaffirmed. Algeria’s refusal to accept this reality and its continued reliance on energy leverage, including the threat of halting gas supplies, reflect a broader foreign policy of brinkmanship and tantrum-driven actions rather than constructive diplomacy.
Algeria’s approach has often involved actions that harm regional integration, such as the 2021 closure of the Maghreb-Europe pipeline, which had been a vital energy link between Algeria and Europe via Morocco. This self-destructive move, motivated by a desire to punish Morocco, destabilized regional markets and weakened Algeria’s own standing. Analysts argue that this strategy is less about advancing Algeria’s national interests and more about indulging its obsession with undermining Morocco.
The ongoing support for the Polisario, a group whose leadership thrives in the Tindouf camps while its people live in poverty, is seen as a continuation of a failed strategy that sacrifices human lives for a prolonged political standoff. Critics have likened Algeria’s actions to colonization by proxy, maintaining the Western Sahara conflict to justify repression at home.
Algeria’s reliance on gas blackmail is increasingly ineffective, as Europe diversifies its energy sources following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Algeria’s strategy of using energy as a weapon has backfired, eroding its credibility and reducing its influence. In contrast, Morocco has steadily worked on decentralizing power, investing in the southern provinces, and building international support for its autonomy plan.
The trajectory of the Western Sahara issue is clear, with major global powers—especially the US and Europe—recognizing Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only viable solution. Algeria’s refusal to accept this reality, and its continued reliance on energy leverage, has only resulted in self-inflicted damage, isolating the country and weakening its regional standing. The Sahara dispute is no longer a Cold War-era issue but a modern diplomatic challenge that Algeria’s current strategy fails to address.