Middle East Near You

Ironically, Maghreb governments grieve the missed opportunities of their decadent union, but refrain from taking genuine steps to bridge divides. Moroccan officials, for instance, frequently extol the benefits of...

While the Moroccan government displays outward harmony, an exchange of media statements has stirred up the seemingly calm atmosphere among its members. Unlike the previous government run by the...

Official corruption in Morocco hampers the fight to reduce poverty. This is especially true in more remote areas, where local officials pay less notice to national programmes to tackle...

The general public in Morocco are familiar with the decline of educational standards, yet blaming teachers alone for the failure is common. Education personnel generally know that violence, drug-taking...

The Moroccan Ministry of Education has been working hectically to rectify some of the setbacks from which the sector suffers, especially before the recent sacking of ministers. New teachers...

With the Arab Spring backlash, regional powers which support the Palestinians, especially the resistance groups, are busy solving their domestic concerns. While Turkey is still coming to grips with...

The democratic reversal in Morocco confronts the state with a true dilemma. While the kingdom is requested to abide by global human rights benchmarks, local developments thwart a genuine...

As a new academic year starts, several social woes question the role that schools play in mitigating Morocco’s “decaying” value system. Despite non-stop official discourse that ranks education as...

As the Moroccan state itches for an exit from the Rif stalemate, the breaking of genuine compromises seems uncomfortable. True, street protests have abated in Al-Huceima due to a...

Mistakes and stubbornness still characterise Morocco’s state reactions to the Rif Hirak (“mobilisation”) subsequent to Mouhcine Fikri’s sordid death. Protests, meanwhile, have been relentless and mostly peaceful. Any “violence”...

Though the Saudi-led embargo on Qatar started immediately after the Arab Islamic American summit in Riyadh in May, little is remembered about the promises President Donald Trump made in...

The bewildering unpredictability leading up to the October elections last year impelled the state to put pressure on Morocco’s political parties which challenged its ready-made framework to axe reforms....

Ever since Mohcine Fikri’s gruesome crushing-to-death in a rubbish truck, the mountainous Rif area in north-eastern Morocco has been simmering. In successive escalations, since 28 October, protestors have poured...

In reaction to the unexpected 7 October elections shock, the deep state apparently has engaged fervently in reshaping its long term tactics to regain monopoly over relations with political...

Despite high popularity and a large election win after a relatively successful governmental mandate, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) is facing its most intriguing situation post-2011. Abdelilah Benkirane’s...

Among his most recent media coverage, Abdelilah Benkiran, designated as Morocco’s head of government, reaffirmed the halting of government-forming negotiations. After four months of trying, he admits bluntly to...

While the Moroccan public are increasingly irritated at the obstacles delaying the formation of the second post-2011 government, the three-month political void does little to reward voters’ perseverance on...

Describing the 7 October elections in Morocco as a political earthquake is no exaggeration. Given the mounting levels of literacy and social media savvy, votes in cities were expected...

As the second post-2011 government has lingered in Morocco’s corridors of power for more than two months, optimistic and grim scenarios have been suggested. Among other options, Justice and...

When the late Mouhcine Fikri jumped into a garbage truck to save his fish from destruction, he was aware of the potential risks but did not expect that it...

Moroccan governments have invested efforts and finance in the education system in the fight against illiteracy and poverty, or at least to tame their damaging effects on society. Nevertheless,...

In the run-up to the 7 October legislative elections in Morocco campaigning is well under way, with the main political parties engaged in different strategies. The Establishment-backed Authenticity and...

The third commemoration of the Rabaa and Nahda massacres forces us to revisit two issues, at least. The first is the international community’s phoney treatment of a bloody military...

Several months ago, Moroccan foreign relations reached a political impasse. The Sahara affair, more particularly, led the kingdom’s relations with the UN secretary general, the US, the EU and...

In a region of rapidly escalating instability, Morocco is trying to concretise the recipe for reform and stability. Nevertheless, government officials complain frequently about recurrent signs of despotism in...

When the King of Morocco addressed Gulf leaders in Riyadh recently and denounced foreign powers’ double standards in the region, the US State Department’s annual human rights report was...

Disagreement over Ban Ki-moon’s position on the Sahara affair peaked in March. Consequently, the UN’s annual April meeting to renew the mandate for the Mission for the Referendum in...

Abrupt and unprecedented developments have characterised a long week in Moroccan-Sahara diplomacy. Signs of disagreement arose when UN chief Ban Ki-moon refused to reschedule his visit to North Africa....

Escalations in Moroccan foreign relations today attest to the country’s unprecedented challenges, especially regarding the Sahara affair. Recent developments in the relations with the EU, the UN and the...

As Arab Spring revolutions and advocacy overwhelmed the streets of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the main promise prioritised by political groups — ideological or intellectual differences...

As alert levels in Brussels ease gradually after weeks of vigilance over potential terrorism in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, Moroccan intelligence agencies are expected to have engaged...

In Moroccan politics, the recurrence of — often hot — cultural frictions on such issues as personal freedoms, language policy or artistic events reveal hidden socio-political divergence. Their politicisation...