Desert brethren

After a brutal crackdown by France as Algeria fought for independence half a century ago, French President Francois Hollande's state visit Wednesday is meant to convey a new era of equal standing as partners. Whether hardliner islamists on the Algerian right -- or French conservatives opposed to acknowledgment of any gruesome excesses -- can sabotage the relationship will be key for maintaining an alliance against terrorism, and working together on France's plans to intervene in Mali's militant-plagued north.