But the successful armed struggle for independence enabled Algeria to position itself as the spearhead of African liberation and the champion of pan-African unification. There, Algeria took the stage, front and center, and for Ben Bella, it was time to talk of blood. During a decade when a new international order was rapidly taking shape, African states’ had to prioritize consolidating their own statehood. “This aggression is a battle between progressive republic and conservative monarchy, between revolution and imperialism,” proclaimed Ben Bella. Many Algerians criticized Ben Bella as a hubristic president who preferred fixing the world’s problems instead of focusing on Algeria’s grim socioeconomic realities.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 28, 2024 10:57 UTC