Regionalism in North Africa: the Arab Maghreb Union in 2019

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May Barth
NORTH AFRICA RESEARCH ASSISTANT

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), this contribution discusses the state of play since its creation. This desire is all the more motivated by the fact that many events have taken place since the beginning of year 2019. On one hand, set aside at the signing of the Marrakech Treaty, the conflict over the Western Sahara is one of the situations that makes the AMU inoperable. On the other, the lack of stable state institutions in Libya does not allow the country to put the AMU as a top priority in its political agenda. Finally, since the departure of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 20 years, Algeria is currently in a transition period, while presidential elections are scheduled in Tunisia and Mauritania, in November and June 2019 respectively.

 

This report analyses the AMU from three perspectives: political, economic and cultural. In Chapter 1, the report addresses the historical roots of the AMU and the reasons behind its failure before providing an overview of the current situation. While the AMU founding fathers envisaged an Union which would ultimately lead to a space for peace and unity, the conflict over the Western Sahara makes this idea compromised. In Chapter 2, the report assesses the economic situation of the AMU Member States and examines the benefits which could derive from the achievement of the AMU. The AMU countries crucially lack economic complementarity, which in turn jeopardises intra-regional trade and the project of an integrated market. Finally, Chapter 3 identifies the cultural roots of the Arab Maghreb and the extent to which culture could be used as the primary means to bring each country’s populations closer. Because the AMU countries speak Arabic and share similar cultural and religious practices, there is a real potential for cooperation between them.

 

Throughout the research process, this report collected a number of primary data, namely from the Arab Maghreb Union, the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Security Council. Conclusions are drawn that, in spite of current political challenges in the region, the AMU countries would highly benefit from regional integration, namely in terms of economic development and regional cohesion.

 

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