On December 10, 2020, then-US President Donald Trump recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, circumventing a decades-long UN-sponsored peace process for the territory. In return, Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel. The US-brokered agreement goes beyond a simple...
Commentators from major news outlets have commented that Morocco will be among the first Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel and exchange ambassadors following the Israeli-Emirati agreement. As the former US ambassador to Morocco and having closely followed the policies and...
Many countries are facing declining growth rates due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Morocco is no exception. Given lockdowns and flight restrictions implemented worldwide from March, the tourism and hospitality sectors — usually the third-largest component of GDP — have suffered enormous...
According to the latest findings of the Arab Barometer, which surveyed approximately 2,400 Moroccans in face-to-face interviews in the fall of 2018, attitudes are largely split along generational lines. While the older generation (50+) still has confidence in the country’s institutions,...
Reading tea leaves, even great Moroccan mint tea, is always challenging, especially with data that doesn’t always seem to match up. So, depending on what you’re measuring and where you gather your statistics, the message can vary from so bad to almost great, when it comes to economic...
For many people, July 6 marked the passing of just another Saturday. But to over 1 billion people, it was of tremendous significance as it was the 25th UN International Day of Cooperatives. Over 12% of humanity contribute to one of the 3 million cooperatives on the planet. Cooperatives not only...
Through the long summer days, fasting and embracing spirituality in Ramadan is becoming more difficult. It is now the half-way point in Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. The festival commemorates the moment that the Quran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad. For either 29...
What made 15 African Union members vote against Morocco’s admission? Nearing the one-year anniversary of Morocco’s admission into the African Union (AU), further interpretations can be made concerning the implications of the AU’s majority 39-15 vote. Following Morocco’s historic...
The stray cats of Rabat are alone and hungry. This young woman is doing something about it. Hajar Benallal is a modern-day hero. This young Moroccan woman takes care of some of the many street cats of Rabat. Each week, she feeds hundreds of cats. Stray cats in the Moroccan capital usually...
Fog harvesting provides an alternative source of drinking water in places that are cloud abundant and infrastructure poor. In 2006, the Dar Si Hmad Foundation and the University of La Laguna began investigating the viability of obtaining drinking water from fog in southwest Morocco. Researchers...
To solve the issue of poverty, policymakers in Morocco need to go back to the drawing board. Poverty eradication is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Eliminating relative and extreme poverty is an essential requirement for the sustainable growth of any nation as well as to ensure basic...
Stimulating the private sector through education and small businesses is critical to alleviating poverty in Morocco. Poverty has always been a serious obstacle to the growth of developing countries, and Morocco is no exception. Stymied in part through several decades of colonialization by two...
