Mollet lacked the political strength to release Ben Bella as peace negotiators.

Evidence

Mollet could still have thrown the switches. He could have released Ben Bella and his colleagues, and have dealt with them, from a position of strength, as honoured negotiators, as indeed the French dealt with Mohammed V and Bourguiba. But, as revealed, the Mollet government possessed neither the will nor the power; and, in any event, with Suez in the offing, the time would soon be quite out of joint. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 488

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: what exactly constrained Mollet’s government so tightly that he could not act on his own cold fury?
• XREF: connects to: Ben Bella’s abduction derailed a promising Maghreb peace initiative — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 484; The Ben Bella hijacking sealed off any negotiated end to the war. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 490; Suez and the Ben Bella affair destroyed Mollet’s Algerian policy. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 497

Related

• Suez and the Ben Bella affair destroyed Mollet’s Algerian policy. (similarity 0.90)
• The Ben Bella hijacking sealed off any negotiated end to the war. (similarity 0.88)
• Ben Bella’s abduction derailed a promising Maghreb peace initiative (similarity 0.88)
• Suez destroyed Mollet’s Algerian policy while no rival would replace him (similarity 0.88)
• Algeria’s entanglement likely fuelled Mollet’s rush to Suez. (similarity 0.85)
• The Ben Bella hijacking backfired by pushing Tunisia and Morocco firmly behind the FLN. (similarity 0.82)
• Boumedienne seized power from Ben Bella in a 1965 army coup. (similarity 0.81)
• The Ben Bella kidnapping may mark the French army’s first self-directed political coup (similarity 0.80)
• France’s refusal of a Maghreb confederation doomed compromise peace efforts (similarity 0.79)
• Ben Bella sided with Boumedienne’s hard-liners and insisted on tougher terms against French concessions (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Suez and the Ben Bella affair destroyed Mollet’s Algerian policy. #corroborates (0.65) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 497
• The Ben Bella hijacking sealed off any negotiated end to the war. #qualifies (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 490