Political Risk

Illiteracy remains a major problem for Morocco, particularly in rural areas, and seriously depresses its attractiveness to investment, undermining a key plank of the government's... 2006-07-28

The announcement by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on the July 4 Independence Day that there will a be a referendum on a new constitution by the end of the year has been long expected.... 2006-07-24

Following the May 15 announcement by the United States (US) that it would restore full diplomatic relations with Libya, the 45 day process has now been completed successfully. Both... 2006-07-13

The Moroccan government has responded to efforts by Islamist group al-Adl al Ihsane (Justice and Charity) to widen its appeal to Moroccans with a clampdown that has resulted in hundreds... 2006-07-03

With a rising oil income, public economic expectations in hydrocarbon rich Algeria have been raised, to the detriment of ongoing reforms. Riots and protests erupt daily in the country,... 2006-06-26

Morocco continues to garner occasional plaudits for its moves towards political and economic liberalization. However, progress on the human rights front remains limited, and there... 2006-06-07

The late-May replacement of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahya by Abdelaziz Belkhadem suggests that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is attempting to expand his own control over Algerian... 2006-06-07

It's been a long time coming, but it may well have proved worth the wait; Libya's removal from Washington's list of state sponsor of terrorism (leaving a convenient space for newly... 2006-05-19

Tensions with France have risen as negotiations over a stalled bilateral 'friendship treaty' have highlighted the two countries' very different attitudes to France's colonial history... 2006-05-10

In late April UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his latest report on the Western Sahara question. In it, Annan effectively buried the plans for an eventual referendum on independence... 2006-05-08