The lessons of Algeria
From Michael Sheahan Sir: Alistair Home's interesting article 'Roots of Terror' (30 October) talks of the Algerian war acquiring 'a new, sharper relevance' in the context of Iraq. The difficulty, of course, is understanding exactly what the relevance is. Whatever one's view of the current war, there are a number of significant differences between the two situations. The removal of a despotic leader had no equivalent in the French occupation of Algeria. Algeria was not just a colony but a department of metropolitan France with a large French population and a long history of French exploitation. The Algerian war can be seen as part of the general demise of European colonialism. Whereas Iraq. . . ?
It serves, surely, as a good example of Mark Twain's dictum that history does not repeat it itself; at best it sometimes rhymes.
Michael Sheahan
Paris, France
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