Tebboune and “the Unnamed State”: When Hatred Becomes Algeria’s Official Policy
By Iman Alaoui | ALDAR
It seems that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune cannot go a single week without mentioning the “state he refuses to name” — which, ironically, he mentions more than any other. In his latest television appearance, Tebboune declared with feigned confidence: “The Gulf countries are our brothers, except for one country — I won’t say its name… They wanted to interfere in matters that even world powers are barred from, and we stopped them.”
What a paradox! Everyone knows the country he’s hinting at — the United Arab Emirates, which seems to live rent-free in his head. Instead of tackling his country’s deep-rooted crises — unemployment, corruption, and the desperate youth fleeing on “boats of death” — Tebboune prefers to fire arrows of envy toward a nation that builds, innovates, and commands global respect.
Has the UAE’s success become a crime in the eyes of Algeria’s rulers? Or does the nightly glow of Burj Khalifa disturb the calm of El Mouradia Palace?
Tebboune boasts about “preventing a major power from interfering,” forgetting that his own country is drowning in the meddling of its military establishment — the same generals who appoint ministers, dismiss presidents, and dictate what’s said on the evening news. What kind of sovereignty is that? Sovereignty of slogans and microphones?
The truth is, the Algerian regime has mastered the art of political jealousy. Since losing its regional compass, it has tried to mask its inferiority complex by insulting those who succeed. One day it’s Morocco, the next it’s the UAE — and who knows, perhaps tomorrow Tebboune will accuse Switzerland of “interfering in the affairs of the hourglass”!
The issue isn’t just the statement itself, but the mindset behind it — a system that views every Arab achievement as a threat. The UAE today is a global economic and diplomatic power, while Algeria remains governed by the logic of the Cold War communiqué. The contrast is striking: one nation reaches for Mars, the other still struggles to explain electricity outages in the 21st century.
Tebboune insists on presenting himself as a “sovereign leader,” yet every word he utters betrays the opposite — a man bound by the commands of generals, raising his voice only when instructed to do so. Even his attacks lack conviction; they serve merely to echo the military’s narrative, which constantly needs an external enemy to justify its grip on power.
Meanwhile, the UAE remains silent. It doesn’t need to respond. Confident nations do not argue with those who live under the shadow of tanks. In this case, silence is not weakness — it is refined disdain.
Tebboune’s remarks are nothing more than a side act in Algeria’s long-running political theater, where the generals play the lead roles and Tebboune is left as the “official spokesman for national jealousy.”
So, Mr. President, if you truly wish “not to name the country,” at least try to pretend you’ve forgotten it. Because your repetition has made one thing clear: the UAE is far too great to be diminished by words born of envy and noise.
