Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The complex relations between the state and Islamic institutions in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco shed light on evolving governance and have important implications for Western policies of countering violent extremism and conflict resolution.
In gaining U.S. recognition for its annexation of Western Sahara, Morocco achieved a central foreign policy objective without having to define the political terms of that annexation.
Now, the United States has abandoned its previous support for the determination for the Sahrawi people and simply affirmed that Western Sahara is part of Morocco. In exchange, Morocco has begun to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel
Rising tensions between Morocco and the Polisario Front come at the worst time for parties to the Western Sahara conflict.
If Joe Biden wins the U.S. presidential election, the Maghreb would be a perfect venue for greater engagement.
Many countries in the Middle East and North Africa still struggle to manage the coronavirus, but Morocco’s response suggests an important evolution in civil-military relations.
The coronavirus has highlighted deeply ingrained inequality in Morocco, bringing its society to a crunch point. Much will depend on what its leader does next.
Having lost the cushion of Gulf support, many Arab states are looking for external financing from international financial institutions and other donors such as China (particularly in North Africa) and the United States.
While countries worldwide have announced lockdowns to block the coronavirus, North African governments are using the opportunity to further quell freedom of expression and advance their agendas. Will civil society stand their ground?
To contain the coronavirus, Arab governments are mobilizing official Islamic institutions. The most pressing goal is to shut down sites of potential contagion as Ramadan approaches.
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