A war of statements has erupted once again between Algeria and Morocco over the border strip whose closing completes its second decade next year, without there being anything heralding the return of concord between the two neighboring countries. Naturally, the collapse of dialogue in regard to the closed border issue is casting darker shadows over the regional Sahara conflict, and whoever cannot solve the border normalization problems in the absence of any clear reasons for the suspension of the movement of individuals and goods, will find it extremely difficult to reach the appropriate solution for a deeper and greater conflict. For around 40 years, the Moroccans and Algerians tried the smoothest approaches, after having engaged in the most depleting conflicts in terms of energy and capabilities. They finally reached an appealing idea, distancing the Sahara disputes from the file of bilateral relations, considering that the regional conflict is sponsored by the United Nations and that all that it merely required was full cooperation with the efforts deployed by the international community to reach a consensual political solution. Among the encouraging results of this inclination is that the United Nations has taken the regional dimension into account, seeing how it would ensure the reopening of the border between the two neighboring countries and consequently support the steps leading towards the activation of the Maghreb Union. The call was thus given an urgent character due to the growing security challenges in the Sahel region. Still, in light of the current situation, there does not seem to be any imminent breakthrough at the level of the stalemate governing all the courses. Regionally, the hopes of seeing the staging of the deferred Maghreb summit have dissipated after it was widely believed that the momentum of the Arab spring will push the Maghreb summit to the forefront, especially in light of the launching of an initiative in this direction by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki who wanted to grant the Maghreb structure a democratic legitimacy, and make it appear as though it emerged from the base and was not imposed by the command. There is no doubt that the collapse of the efforts to hold the Maghreb summit invokes the ghost of the Moroccan-Algerian disputes, considering that the Maghreb project only saw the light during the period of détente which affected their relations. The state of regional impediment has impacted the bilateral axis. And after this axis used to affect the Maghreb bloc – whether positively or negatively – it is now affected by it, to the point where no bilateral or multipartite approach ensured the resumption of merely ordinary relations, which are neither problem-free nor the hostage of the problems. In addition, the discussion of the reopening of the border – which is considered normal by all accounts between two neighboring states – became the object of conditions, although the border should act as a passageway towards understanding and cooperation, even if not on the political level. Indeed, there is nothing more positive than to endorse the human dimension and preserve the familial and marital ties between the inhabitants of the border strip on both sides. And since every crisis has an alternative, the sustainment of the current situation at the level of Moroccan-Algerian relations is synonymous to the enhancement of seclusion, lack of confidence, and isolation, which is definitely impacting the entire North African region. The principle of neighborly ties failed to push them to open a new page that would liberate them from all the complications that emerged due to the consecutive disputes and conflicts. Moreover, distancing the region from the negative circle of influence that obstructed the Maghreb project widely contributed to the weakening of the Maghreb negotiators in the face of their European partners and almost annulled the Maghreb presence in the handling of the fateful and urgent Arab developments should be enough. It is not the fate of the two neighboring countries and the Maghreb region to neglect the set dates in light of the fierce transformations, considering that before the collapse of the Eastern camp the benefits of the Maghreb structure were seen, especially in 1989. Whether the mutual disgruntlement between Morocco and Algeria is caused by the conflicting visions and diverging positions towards numerous bilateral and regional problems or the result of the promotion of crises beyond the border, the widening of the gap does not a viable policy make. Quite the contrary, it increases the discrepancy. On the other hand, it would be conceited to say that whoever is unable to turn the clock backwards and reinstate normal neighborly relations along the border strip, can do what is greater on the regional level. The issue does not require the provocation of new confrontations, considering that a simple look at regional reality confirms that its problems are countless. Hence the question: Can the deepening of the problems lead to their resolution or does the solution reside in the recognition of their existence and the fact that they cannot be worked out without a political will drawing the lessons from the past mistakes?
