Fear of Extremism Grows in Maghreb

The Maghreb countries' nuanced positions are shown in their varying positions on the French military intervention in Mali — a necessary military step, but not sufficient to stop and roll back the advance of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other radical groups into south Mali. Their positions can be explained through the following points.

First, those countries are currently undergoing the early wave of different forms of Islamism — whether in power, connected to power or pushing for power — as the entire Arab world undergoes a time of Islamist awakening.