The escalating rivalry between Algeria and Morocco has had a  destabilizing effect on the Maghreb region of North Africa. In fact, the  entire western Mediterranean region is feeling the impact of the two  countries’ strange competitive postures. Instead of cooperating to  improve the living standards of their populations, the two countries  have created a toxic environment in the Mediterranean allowing human  smuggling, illegal emigration and drug trafficking to overwhelm parts of  southern Europe, to say the least. In this podcast, Arezki Daoud,  principal analyst at MEA Risk LLC and Editor of The North Africa Journal  unpacks some of the realities surrounding the competition between  Algeria and Morocco for the influence of the Maghreb region.