Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

independence, the Continental Congress chose to ignore the Muslims. Worse, it
presented them as enemies against whom protection was needed from Christian
Europe. Far from going beyond moderate analysis, one is tempted to say that
the United States, right from the start, had chosen to evolve in a Christian orbit,
which is quite legitimate given the background and culture of the Americans.
But what is contrary to common sense and diplomatic tradition is to consider
the culturally different ‘other’ unduly as an enemy against whom one prepares
sinewy plans without even bothering to talk or negotiate with him. Such a stand
might certainly have been interpreted by the ‘other’ as a hostile attitude.
Therefore, one may deduce that some ‘implicit’ and ‘reciprocal’ hostility had
installed itself between Americans and Algerians long before they came into
contact with each other. 102
It will not be before total failure to obtain
‘protection’ under European treaties that Congress decided finally to change
attitude and adhere to the custom of nations which favored initiating peaceful
diplomatic talks before accusing and condemning improperly.
3. 1. The Framework of American Diplomacy
To understand later-to-come correspondence relating to Algiers in
American state papers, one needs to have at least a succinct idea about the
mechanisms which conveyed early American diplomacy. After independence,
the task of insuring a durable and secure commerce in the Old World continued
to be a priority for the Americans and the task for its everlastingness fell to the
102 One may also argue for ‘reciprocity’ because at Algiers, too, Christians were perceived as enemies.
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