This blog has written on the erosion of the Mauritania-Israel relationship before. This week Mauritania severed its relations with Israel formally after recalling its ambassador and taking on a brutal public rhetoric over a year ago. The move is significant in that it is a part of a broader trend in Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz’s foreign policy; this has been to adopt a rough posture on a number of hot issues in hopes of gaining the support of more consequential powers. It has domestic and international dynamics and can be seen as basically pragmatic, though many debate how impolitic it might be. It has nothing to do with settlements or Avigdor Lieberman or such things; it does have to do with political squabbles inside Mauritania and the diplomatic fallout from the August 2008 coup. Continue reading
