Washington has no intention of establishing military bases in North Africa. It only seeks to reinforce its military and security cooperation with the countries of the region. This is one of the public conclusions drawn by General William Ward, head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), from his visit to the region. However, he did not speak of the scope of such cooperation, at a time when the issue of permanent military bases is no longer put on the table, as such bases can now easily be replaced by floating ones that move across seas and oceans without entering the territorial waters of other countries.

It is more like a delusive linguistic analysis conveying one message with varying degrees of insinuation. What is most important is not to agree whether or not to establish military bases, but rather to accept American military presence in the region, under several headings. Most prominent of these is that the countries of North Africa are now entirely involved in Washington's strategy for the war on terror. Any agreement on objectives requires further agreements regarding method and style, even if America's enthusiasm may seem less pleasant to its other partners.

The concept of Western military bases still reminds North African countries of the Cold War concepts of economic and ideological domination. This gives precedence to sensibilities stemming from apprehensions of a patriotic nature, in connection with the era of struggle against colonization. Yet, the evacuation of these bases in the 1960s was nothing more than replacing them with new locations, turning European countries, such as Spain, Italy and Germany, into practical alternatives. As time has shown, the increase in distance was of little significance. It does not matter to the Americans whether they use Sicily, Andalusia or Stuttgart as a base to impose their military domination on the world. However, sensitivity increases when the base is on Arab soil, even more so when such bases become permanent.

Washington's objectives go beyond its desire to provide more military bases. When the US concluded an agreement to use a military base in a North African country in the early 1980s, it made such a move contingent upon the possibility of the Gulf region being endangered. At the time, the notion of "danger" was an obscure one, for everyone except the North Africans. This means that focusing polarization on North Africa may serve long-term objectives, beginning with the justifications of the war on terror and ending in an unknown place and time. The belief now prevails that the region is remote from confrontations and wars, as it aspires to offer a model and example of self-restraint. The problem is that it has left more breaches in its walls, out of which any loss of control or recklessness can slip through.

Until recent times, North Africa was confident that its role as a barrier to European influence, specifically to that of France, Spain and Italy, would make it fight wars of influence on behalf of the countries of the region. At the very least, it thought it could profit from the contradictions between the stances of its European and American partners. For decades, it was stimulated by falling under the umbrella of Cold War implications. However, the winds of international change, most notably the new strategic alliance between France and the US, have stripped it of the attributes of an oasis. Indeed, the Europeans are keener on waging their wars on terrorism at their southern borders, on the shores of the Mediterranean. As a result, they will be forced to keep up with the Americans, who now fight their wars, whether legitimate or not, themselves.

In less than a week, fleets have landed, maneuvers have taken place and armies have been redeployed, at the middle of the vital circle between Gibraltar and the Mediterranean coast. Before that, American, European and Maghrebine experts have endeavored to find the best means to counter terrorism in North Africa, which means that the region is prone to further polarization. Indeed, the Americans, who came to the region over six decades ago, are wagering on their return, this time with calculations and schemes which should not be remote from the dispositions of the region, which has become open to every possibility.