Editing Algerian War (section)

== Strategy of internationalisation of the Algerian War led by the FLN ==
At the beginning of the war, on the Algerian side, it was necessary to compensate for military weakness with political and diplomatic struggle. In the asymmetric conflict between [[France]] and the [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|FLN]] at this time, victory seemed extremely difficult.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Histoire de la guerre d'Algérie|last=Stora|first=Benjamin|publisher=La Découverte|year=1993}}</ref>

The Algerian revolution began with the insurrection of November 1, when the FLN organized a series of attacks against the French army and military infrastructure, and published a statement calling on Algerians to get involved in the revolution. This initial campaign had limited impact: the events remained largely unreported, especially by the French press (only two newspaper columns in ''[[Le Monde]]'' and one in ''[[l'Express]]''), and the insurrection all but subsided. Nevertheless, [[François Mitterrand]], the French Minister of the Interior, sent 600 soldiers to Algeria.

Furthermore, the FLN was weak militarily at the beginning of the war. It was created in 1954 and had few members, and its ally the [[National Liberation Army (Algeria)|ALN]] was also underdeveloped, having only 3,000 men badly equipped and trained, unable to compete with the French army. The nationalist forces also suffered from internal divisions.

As proclaimed in the statement of 1954, the FLN developed a strategy to avoid large-scale warfare and internationalize the conflict, appealing politically and diplomatically to influence French and world opinion.<ref name="Frank">{{Cite journal|last=Frank|first=Robert|year=2012|title=L'arme secrète du FLN. Comment de Gaulle a perdu la guerre d'Algérie, de Matthew Connelly. Paris, Payot, traduit de l'anglais par François Bouillot|journal=Monde(s)|volume=1|pages=159–174|doi=10.3917/mond.121.0159}}</ref> This political aspect would reinforce the legitimacy of the FLN in Algeria, which was all the more necessary since Algeria, unlike other colonies, had been formally incorporated as a part of [[metropolitan France]]. The French counter-strategy aimed to keep the conflict internal and strictly French to maintain its image abroad. The FLN succeeded, and the conflict rapidly became international, embroiled with the tensions of the [[Cold War]] and the emergence of the [[Third-Worldism|Third World]].

Firstly, the FLN exploited the tensions between the American-led [[Western Bloc]] and the Soviet-led [[East Bloc|Communist bloc]]. FLN sought material support from the Communists, goading the Americans to support Algerian independence to keep the country on the western side. Furthermore, the FLN used the tensions within each bloc, including between France and the US and between the USSR and Mao's China. The US, which generally opposed [[Colonization|colonisation]], had every interest in pushing France to give Algeria its independence.<ref>{{Cite book|title="La Guerre d'Algérie, facteur de changement du système international" de Jeffrey James Byrne dans Histoire de l'Algérie à la période coloniale|last=Bouchène|first=Abderrahmane|publisher=La Découverte|year=2014}}</ref>

Secondly, the FLN could count on Third World support. After [[World War II]], many new states were created in the wave of [[decolonization]]: in 1945 there were 51 states in the [[United Nations|UN]], but by 1965 there were 117. This upturned the balance of power in the UN, with the recently decolonized countries now a majority with great influence. Most of the new states were part of the Third-World movement, proclaiming a third, non-aligned path in a bipolar world, and opposing colonialism in favor of national renewal and modernization.<ref>{{Cite book|title=La guerre froide globale|last=Westad|first=Odd Warne|publisher=Payot|year=2007}}</ref> They felt concerned in the Algerian conflict and supported the FLN on the international stage. For example, a few days after the first insurrection in 1954, Radio [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] (Third-Worldist) begun to vocally support the struggle of Algeria;<ref>{{Cite book|title=La guerre d'Algérie revisitée : nouvelles générations, nouveaux regards|last=Kadri|first=Aïssa|publisher=Karthala|year=2015}}</ref> the 1955 [[Bandung Conference|Bandung conference]] internationally recognized the FLN as representing Algeria;<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=A diplomatic revolution : Algeria's fight for independence and the origins of the post-cold war era|last=Connelly|first=Matthew|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002}}</ref> and Third-World countries brought up the Algerian conflict at the [[United Nations General Assembly|UN general assembly]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title="L'action internationale du FLN" of Jeffrey James Byrne in Histoire de l'Algérie à la période coloniale|last=Bouchène|first=Abderrahmane|publisher=La Découverte|year=2014}}</ref> The French government grew more and more isolated.

After the Battle of Algiers greatly weakened the FLN, it was forced to accept more direct support from abroad. Financial and military support from [[China]] helped to rebuild the ALN to 20 000 men.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Soviet Union|USSR]] competed with China, and [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]] intensified moral support for the Algerian rebellion, which in turn pushed the USA to react.<ref name=":2" /> In 1958, the [[Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic]] (PGAR) was created, naming official representatives to negotiate with France.<ref name=":3" /> Tense negotiations lasted three years, eventually turning to Algeria's advantage. The PGAR was supported by the Third World and the communist bloc, while France had few allies. Under pressure from the UN, the USA, and a war-weary public, France eventually conceded in the [[Évian Accords|Evian agreements]]. According to [[Matthew Connelly]], this strategy of internationalization became a model for other revolutionary groups such as the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] of [[Yasser Arafat]], and the [[African National Congress]] of [[Nelson Mandela]].<ref name=":1" />