[Mohoender]

Interesting thoughts

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

There's a lot of oil in Algeria, which is just a short hop across the Med from Marseille, but there's also a lot of history between France and Algeria, so I have no clue how that might play out?

Not a problem (accessibility will be) as France is already a prime customer for Algerian gas. My cousin is actually spending two-third of his time in a life base located in the middle of the Sahara and pumping oil. However, I would count Algeria to be facing a full-scale civil war and Oran and Skikda would probably have been nuked (they are the main oil terminal)

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Would the French be in a position to try and reconquer Algeria to take control of the oil fields by force? Mo mentioned the possibility of French troops being in Tunisia - might the French and the Tunisians make a joint move against the Algerians? Perhaps Morocco might also be involved on the French side?
That said would they really want to invade Algeria? I think there are a lot of French citizens of Algerian descent living in France, and making military moves against the mother country might spark off a whole wave of internal disorder. Also, are they already getting enough oil and gas from their partners in the Middle East?

We wouldn't put a finger in the Djebels again. It's like asking if US wants to conquer Vietnam or USSR get involved again in Afghanistan. Not a chance!! In addition, Algeria has plenty of youth to make your life hell and plenty with french citizenship able to carry devastating terrorist actions. For my part I consider that Morocco was nuked for being too suportive of NATO. Tunisia, however, is on French side and, may be and only may be, they can be running a few unofficial oil operations in the deep sands of Algeria. No need to invade, you'll just have to deal with constant attack from Tuaregs.

France getting oil from the Middle East is one of the inconsistancy of T2K (IMO). Why would you get it from there when you already get plenty from Cameroon and Gabon and some from Tunisia? That doesn't rule out the French presence, however, as it is strategically more than important.

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

But wouldn't it be better to be in control of your own supplies rather than rely on others?

What France would get from others would be bonus only (probably a good path for negociation and that would be the sole justification for the Middle East Oil). First, France produces some oil. Not much but that would be used only by the army. Second under T2K coal mines would have been reopened in France, Belgium and Saarland . Third and more importantly, what about the North Sea? HMG still controls a few wells, you can expect that this is also the case for Norway (harder for Netherlands). And of course, France which has the planes, the warships, and the tankers would sit idle. They are not that stupid! Of course, their oil terminals on the Atlantic have been destroyed but one still exists in Marseille (I join a small Map). More important T2K nukes Ghent (why I still don't understand). Nevertheless, if you go with that France still has access to Ostende/Zeebruge (Belgium) and that is an oil teminal located right on the North Sea. Anyway, it wouldn't be that difficult for the French to build a new oil terminal at one of the remaining Atlantic Port (Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Lorient, Roscoff, Saint Malo...)

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Or perhaps some sort of negotiated agreement be possible?

That is definitely possible. The French letting Algerian pirates do what they please in exchange for some oil. However, as you say Algerians oil terminal would have been destroyed and that cannot represent much.