Morocco underestimated

Morocco remains a largely unknown country in Spain, although the current geopolitical climate—in which the skill advancing national interests is taking precedence over a relaxed vision that prioritized international cooperation—is prompting greater attention to be paid to who is on the other side of the border, in this case on the other side of the Strait. Sonia Moreno's book financial aid become aware of Morocco's potential and the skill which it is playing its cards, so that the Iberian Peninsula does not continue to underestimate its southern neighbor, either as partner or as a cause for caution.

Sonia Moreno knows the country and the Maghreb region well, having worked there as a press correspondent for over a decade. She has traveled extensively from Tangier to Western Sahara, from Casablanca to Algeria and Tunisia. Morocco: The Uncomfortable Neighbor' conveys her experience of a country that is relatively young in terms of its political structure, yet has a long historical heritage that is not easy to decipher due to the secrecy of its institutions. The omnipresence of a monarchical authority that is largely opaque to citizens, and the Closed elitism Closed 'Majzen', the oligarchy that governs in the shadows alongside—or at the service of—Mohamed VI, complicate the interpretation of what is happening in the country.

The book places special emphasis on relations with Spain, not only because of the presumed interest of the target audience, but also because the standoff with Spain is an essential driving force behind Morocco's international actions. Issues such as the absorption of Western Sahara, in whose fate Spain has been involved; migratory pressure on Europe, with the Canary Islands and the peninsular coast as the first stages; and the interest in swallowing up Ceuta and Melilla place Rabat and Madrid on a plane of obligatory interaction.

Moreno has the virtue that, although she is Spanish and sounds the alarm about naive attitudes on this side of the Strait, sample great sample for the Moroccan people. She points out democratic shortcomings and abuses of civil liberties and human rights—such as the lack of modernization of the Family Code—but in some ways admits that in many respects Morocco is doing its homework, at least when it comes to developing strategic planning.

Unacceptable are the disregard for the will of the Sahrawi people regarding the future of their territory and the exploitation of the Sahara's resources as if it were under Moroccan sovereignty; also the use of migration as a bargaining chip and the enrichment staff and elites in a multitude of businesses. At the same time, however, Morocco's investments in the north of the country—from the Tanger-Med port to project West Med project , for example—speak to Morocco's legitimate efforts to establish itself as a major power on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, becoming a hub for connections between Europe and Africa. The planned maritime gas connection from Nigeria and the development renewable energies, such as green hydrogen, are helping to make Morocco an partner for Europe, while also giving it leadership in Africa. Furthermore, Rabat is also taking advantage of its rapprochement with Israel, with the modernization of its military capabilities, and its special relationship with Washington, of which it aspires to be partner .

Much of this has to do with the personalism and focus on business with which Mohammed VI conducts his reign. It is easier to establish strategies unilaterally and enforce them through command and control than to have to reach consensus by combining compromises, as happens in fully guaranteed democracies, although this also often prevents significant mistakes. In any case, we Spaniards have always been guilty of a certain laziness when it comes to strategic thinking, and this is particularly evident when compared to present-day Morocco.

As Sonia Moreno argues, "the biggest mistake made by Spanish governments has been to underestimate Morocco's capabilities for decades, while, calmly, the neighboring country has been following a diary orderly diary in a subtle and unobtrusive manner, which has become evident in the last five years, much to Spain's astonishment." "It is imperative and inexcusable," concludes the author, "to follow the evolution of our uncomfortable neighbor across the Strait in order to anticipate and proceed appropriately in future scenarios. A neighbor with whom it is more effective to seek common ground and understanding than to provoke possible conflicts."

Sonia Moreno's work reads as quickly as a newspaper article, with reference letter a variety of testimonies that support the staff experience (the value staff which can be assumed from the fact that the Moroccan authorities hacked her cell phone). On the other hand, the quantification of data contained in the book gives result significance of a report.