Last Saturday, the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba hosted a meeting of the Arab Ministerial Liaison Committee dedicated to the future of Syria. Around the table: the major Arab nations affected by the political and security upheavals shaking the country. But, an empty chair attracted attention: that of Algeria, largely absent – or rather deliberately forgotten – from this strategic meeting.
An absence which, for observers, says a lot about the precarious position of Algiers in the new regional balances. Why did Algeria prefer the ghost chair at the Aqaba summit? Perhaps the capos regime of Algiers, in its usual spectator posture, thought that its “major role” would do without physical presence. Let us remember: the poorly named president, whose legitimacy remains doubtful, had already presented himself as the savior of Bashar al-Assad.
Algiers greatly absent: when the illusion of grandeur collides with reality
He had boasted, promising a triumphant return of the Syrian dictator within the Arab League, a reintegration which was to crown the Arab summit in Algiers. Except that the Gulf monarchies, more pragmatic and above all more influential, have cooled Algerian enthusiasm, reminding us that policy is not dictated by speeches, but by actions. Bachar had to stay at home to wade through his miseries and the two seniles next door continued to believe that they were still “consulted and listened to”. Sweet illusion.
If the Algiers capos regime thought it would regain its place in the Arab concert after having won, not without difficulty, the return of Syria to the Arab League during its summit in 2022, the reality is quite different today. Not only has Algiers failed to position itself as an influential player in the Syrian issue, but its absence in Aqaba testifies to its growing isolation on the regional diplomatic scene.
The Aqaba meeting, convened to discuss the rapid political and security changes in Syria, highlighted the Arab nations capable of impacting the future of the devastated country: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Emirates, Jordan…, and of course Syria itself. But Algeria, despite being so vocal in its demands for a “major role” in the Middle East, was not even on the guest list. A silent snub, but oh so revealing.
Exaggerated ambition and limited influence
This resounding absence is not just a diplomatic detail: it is a symbol. It bears witness to the gradual downgrading of an Algerian regime in dire straits and incapable of transforming its ambitions into real influence. Aqaba has proven that major decisions are made without him and that Arab nations today favor action over big empty speeches.
In Aqaba, the message is clear: the Arab world is moving forward without Algiers. He is left with only two options: regain his footing in reality and sincerely engage in constructive solutions, or continue his solitary drift in his manifest diplomacy of appearance.
Algeria wanted to be the sponsor of the Syrian return, it is not even invited to discuss its future. A situation which, for an Algerian diplomacy obsessed by its regional stature, resembles a burnt tagine in which the ingredients visibly and cruelly lack flavor.
The diplomacy of the two seniles on the balcony of the Muppets show made in Algeria, often described as thunderous, but hollow, continues to suffer from an absence of clear vision. By stubbornly clinging to a discourse of defense of “principles of sovereignty” and unconditional support for Damascus, the military dictatorship of Algiers seems to have understood nothing about current regional dynamics. Syria does not need slogans, but concrete solutions. In this context, the senile regime of Algiers seems out of the picture and incapable of influencing these crucial decisions.
The future is at stake without the dictatorial regime of Algiers
The new Arab alliances today favor pragmatism over ideology. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, in the lead, are playing the card of economic reconstruction and security discussions. Jordan, host of the summit, asserts itself as an essential mediator. And meanwhile, Algiers continues to look at itself in the distorting mirror of an influence it no longer has.
Algeria’s absence from Aqaba also highlights its strategic mistakes. While Arab countries are working towards regional integration around common issues – reconstruction, security, fight against terrorism – Algiers persists in isolating itself in postures dating from the Cold War.
The diplomacy of the Algerian dictatorship, which often wants to be the voice of the excluded, ends up finding itself excluded. Those who are absent are always wrong, they say. Today, the reality is cruel: Algiers has been abandoned. Once a noisy ventriloquist in Arab affairs, she is now a mute extra on the regional scene. And, in Aqaba, the message sent is clear: Algeria is, at best, a spectator, at worst, an irrelevant actor on the Syrian scene.
