The Geopolitics of Silence: Why Algiers Is Abandoning Its Former Allies

Algiers’ shift away from Caracas is not an isolated incident, but rather a symptom of a profound reconfiguration of its national security doctrine. For decades, Algerian diplomacy relied on a network of “pivot states” sharing a multipolar, anti-Western vision. However, Venezuela’s economic collapse, which has turned it into a pariah state, has transformed this once-useful ally into a strategic liability. By distancing itself from the humiliating epilogue of the Maduro regime, Algeria is seeking to protect its own international image, avoiding being dragged down by the fall of a political model that has become the antithesis of stability.  

Moreover, Donald Trump’s return to the presidency of the United States has acted as a powerful catalyst for this caution. The message sent by the operation against the Venezuelan leader is unequivocal: sovereign protection is no longer an absolute guarantee in the face of American intervention power. For Algerian decision-makers, the risk of a direct confrontation with Washington has become a red line. This survival-driven pragmatism pushes the El Mouradia Palace to sacrifice its ideological principles of “revolutionary solidarity” in order to secure a form of benevolent neutrality from the White House.  

Economic considerations also play a decisive role in this abandonment. Algeria, whose revenues depend almost exclusively on hydrocarbons, urgently needs American technology and investment to modernize its declining energy sector. The arrival of giants such as ExxonMobil on Algerian soil signals a growing economic dependence on the United States. In this context, continuing to publicly support regimes hostile to Washington would amount to economic suicide. Silence on Venezuela is therefore the price to be paid to secure the contracts that keep the country financially afloat.  

At the regional level, this low-profile stance reflects increasing diplomatic isolation. Algeria is watching with concern the erosion of its influence network: the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the weakening of the Iranian axis are depriving Algiers of its traditional relays. This erosion of alliances leaves the country facing a Morocco whose offensive diplomacy and security partnerships — notably with Israel and the United States — are reshaping the balance of power in the Maghreb. By abandoning Caracas, Algiers is clumsily trying not to appear as the last bastion of a world on the verge of disappearance.  

The Moroccan Sahara issue is undoubtedly where this vulnerability is most palpable. Caracas was one of the few vocal supporters of the Polisario in Latin America. With the loss of this relay, Algeria sees its diplomatic options shrinking dramatically. The fear that the U.S. Congress might harden its stance, particularly by designating the Polisario as a terrorist group, paralyzes any inclination to protest. Algeria’s abstention at the UN Security Council on resolutions favorable to the Moroccan autonomy plan confirms that fear of displeasing the United States now outweighs the defense of its own protégés.  

Ultimately, this “geopolitics of silence” reveals a deep identity crisis within the Algerian state apparatus. Unable to renew its Cold War–era discourse, the regime finds itself forced into a humiliating passivity to avoid total isolation. This silence is not a strategy of calculated discretion, but rather the reflection of an imposed transition toward a world in which sovereignist rhetoric is no longer sufficient to conceal the fragility of alliances. Algiers is not only abandoning its allies; it appears, out of necessity, to be abandoning the very pillars of its historic diplomatic doctrine.