The F.L.N. won the decisive political round just as the army defeated it militarily

Evidence

But to the most simpleminded member of the G.P.R.A. it must have been self-evident that one of the most important rounds in the war had been won, on the brink of military defeat. To his hard-pressed djounoud of the interior, the F.L.N. Minister of Defence, Belkacem Krim, issued a communiqué declaring: “Your struggle has obliged the enemy to talk of self-determination, thus renouncing the oft-repeated myth of Algérie française. His retreat is the fruit of your efforts.” The principle of “self-determination” conceded, all the F.L.N. had to do now was to fight an obdurate battle to ensure that they, and no one else, would be the interlocuteur valable with whom de Gaulle would be forced to negotiate it. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1061

Categorization

• XREF: The inversion — winning diplomatically at the brink of military defeat — parallels other insurgent wars where diplomacy outran the battlefield. — connects to: Rejecting the paix des braves is what ultimately let the F.L.N. win; The FLN won self-determination just when it faced military defeat; Melun gave the F.L.N. a political victory over de Gaulle. (+7 more)

Related

• The FLN won self-determination just when it faced military defeat (similarity 0.94)
• The F.L.N. won its main war goal despite impending military defeat (similarity 0.93)
• Military victory in the Battle of Algiers ultimately aided F.L.N. long-term goals. (similarity 0.90)
• The F.L.N. achieved its original war objectives as framed at Soummam. (similarity 0.88)
• Political struggle continues after military defeat on political terrain (similarity 0.87)
• The French army won militarily while losing the political and world battle (similarity 0.86)
• Military defeat of guerrilla bands shifted rather than ended the revolution’s political impact (similarity 0.86)
• Melun gave the F.L.N. a political victory over de Gaulle. (similarity 0.86)
• Rejecting the paix des braves is what ultimately let the F.L.N. win (similarity 0.85)
• Military success on the battlefield coexisted with a sense that political betrayal was imminent. (similarity 0.84)
• Military pacification ended and politics dominated as the war wound down (similarity 0.84)
• Military victory elevated the army to ultimate political arbiter in Algeria (similarity 0.83)
• Winning militarily while losing politically doomed the French army in Algeria (similarity 0.83)
• Military defeat of the rebellion coincided with its growing political entrenchment among civilians (similarity 0.83)
• The political moment must always prevail over the military in strategy (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• The French army won militarily while losing the political and world battle #corroborates (0.90) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1653
• Winning militarily while losing politically doomed the French army in Algeria #corroborates (0.85)
• Military defeat of guerrilla bands shifted rather than ended the revolution’s political impact #qualifies (0.60)