I didn't write that
From Dr Hugh Roberts Sir: David Pryce-Jones's review (Books, 15 March) of The Battlefield: Algeria 1988-2002
passes off his own misconceptions of Algerian politics as if my book corroborates them, and commends it on that basis. But I do not suggest that the only thing the Algerians 'fundamentally disagree about is the sharing of the spoils', nor do I claim that 'deep tribal and ethnic loyalties operate', let alone that 'the FLN annulled the elections' in 1992. Nor do I assert that the collapse of the Soviet Union 'drained meaning out of socialism', for that matter. Finally, while I provide a critical analysis of France's Algeria policy during the Mitterrand era and the first term of Chirac's presidency, my view of French motives is not what Pryce-Jones suggests, and my critique is not grounded in a general hostility to France's role in international affairs such as he himself appears to entertain. It is grounded in support for the right of self-determination and opposition to the West's claim to a 'right of interference', and thus provides no support for his enthusiasm for Anglo-American policy on Iraq.
Hugh Roberts Cairo, Egypt
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