Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 13 - Año: 2019 - Págs.: 213 a 242 225 Ignacio Fuente Cobo Security policies in the Maghreb from the perspective… Balance of power and compensation mechanism The structural anarchy inherent in the system and the absence of an international authority capable of coercively enforcing commitments means that neither state can be considered absolutely secure, or permanently secure. Both states are insecure in one way or another; the only thing that varies is the degree of insecurity. Consequently, Morocco and Algeria have to assume security policies based on mutual distrust. The success or failure of these policies depends on the responses that each of them provides to the actions of the other, though certain common behavioural character-istics can be identified, which are repeated and remain constant over time. These ele-ments are characteristic of Realpolitik: the interests of the state prevail over any other consideration and the needs of security policy arise from permanent and unlimited competition between the two states33. This means that national security and the political issues deriving from continuous competition constitute if not the only purpose, at least the main focus of both Moroc-can and Algerian politics. In this sense, both states are revisionist as they will only be satisfied with the status quo when they become predominant in their region. However, as neither of them has, in practice, the capacity to do so, their relationship is bound to permanent competition, in which each one seeks to maximise its potential compara-tive advantages over the other. The fact that Morocco and Algeria present similar characteristics in their behavior as states, regardless of the structural differences (political, economic, social, etc.) be-tween the two, means that the socialization of the regional system ends up consisting of its policies of security imitating each other, in a process of mutual adaptation34. If Morocco rearms, so does Algeria, and if the latter expands, so does Morocco. Interac-tion between the two states provokes similarities in the patterns of their international behaviour due to the disadvantages derived from not using the successful behaviour employed by their adversary. In this way, both states determine their security policy on the basis of their security needs in comparison with the other power, and the success of these policies depends on their capacity to preserve, expand and strengthen the state. Realpolitik thus provides rational security logic for both Morocco and Algeria and this logic extends over time regardless of the different historical periods to which it applies since their constitution as modern states. As states, Morocco and Algeria have offensive military capabilities superior to the other states of the region (Tunisia or Mauritania), but not with respect to one another, which establishes a situation of true balance of power in the Maghreb between two powers vying for regional dominance. Their equivalent geopolitical weight means that 33 WALTZ, K. (2001). Man, the State and War, New York, Columbia University Press, pp.210-217. 34 BARNARD, Ch. (1948). On planning for world government. Organization and Management. Cambridge, Harvard Press University, pp.148-152.
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