Boualem Sansal's release: How discreet diplomacy triumphed over 'a show of strength'

Bruno Retailleau, then interior minister, at a rally in support of writer Boualem Sansal, in Paris, March 25, 2025. THIBAUD MORITZ/AFP

"Idealists" versus "realists"? Diplomacy of "good intentions" versus firmness in the name of French security? The pardon granted on Wednesday, November 12, by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal highlights just how poorly the debate over France's stance toward Algiers had been framed, amid the climate of one-upmanship surrounding French policy on Algeria.

Since the start of the row between the two countries in July 2024 – sparked by Emmanuel Macron's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara – the French authorities have appeared torn between two competing approaches to Algeria, differing more in method than in substance.

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Boualem Sansal, French-Algerian writer detained in Algeria, receives pardon

Boualem Sansal's release: How discreet diplomacy triumphed over 'a show of strength'

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