Middle East Near You

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...