ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the geographical, socioeconomic, and geopolitical elements influencing Algeria's policy in the Mediterranean. As a non-aligned country and voice of the Third World during the 1960s and 1970s, Algeria defended the idea of the Mediterranean as a region for Mediterraneans, protesting the presence of foreign fleets. More involved with the Arab world and the African continent, Algeria did not give as much priority to the Mediterranean space. After an extended period of scepticism on the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, Algeria finally became more engaged in Mediterranean issues, encouraging most of the initiatives in favour of cooperation. Although those relations are important in various fields, they remain complex and complicated, alternating between phases of agreements and of tensions.
