Ahmed Snoussi, Former Moroccan Minister and Ambassador to the UN, and most importantly, close confidant of King Hassan II, passed away this week. He was 92 years old. He was held in high esteem in Morocco as a key figure in the fight for independence and one of the earliest architects of the foreign ministry in the late 1950s. He was also one of the most recognizable and revered personalities in Morocco. I was a personal witness to the love Ambassador Snoussi received throughout the country. For instance, on the many occasions during our time together in Morocco person after person would come ..read more

Jean R. AbiNader November 24, 2020 Jean R. AbiNader, Moroccan American Center Morocco, the Polisario, and its patron Algeria are sounding war drums over the Sahara. Is this recent skirmish a threat to regional stability or more posturing? On October 21, groups of Polisario supporters blocked the highway at Guerguerat, in the extreme southwest of the Western Sahara. This is in the buffer zone between territory controlled by Morocco and the land claimed by the Polisario, effectively blocking transportation between Morocco, Mauritania, and countries further south. Moroccan troops responded quic ..read more

Mahjoubi Aherdan. Photo: Leila Alaoui   Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.)November 24, 2020 One of the most legendary political figures in Morocco, Mahjoubi Aherdan, has passed away at age 100. Aherdan, who was mostly called by his last name, was the co-founder of the Mouvement Populaire (MP) political party and was one of the staunchest supporters of a free and independent Morocco. Aherdan served in many notable government positions during his lifetime. He served as governor of Rabat after Morocco’s independence, then as a minister in Morocco’s first government. He also served i ..read more

Vice President Biden meets with His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco November 19, 2014 in Fez to discuss a number of issues. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) Robert M. Holley October 9, 2020 Robert M. Holley, Senior Policy Adviser, MACP Dear Mr. President, Western Sahara will not be among the most pressing issues facing your foreign policy team early in your Administration, nor should it. There is some heavy lifting to do on Europe, NATO, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. But you know that already. Eventually however, this nettlesome question of Western Sahara will po ..read more

Former President Bill Clinton, at an address at the 2015 HOPE Global Forum in Atlanta, mentioned Morocco as a model country of religious tolerance, otherness and coexistence as shows the concord between Moroccan Jews and Muslims Photo: MAP Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.)August 20, 2020 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-UAE agreement. As the former US Ambassador to Morocco and having closely followed the policies and opinions of King Moham ..read more

Jean R. AbiNader July 20, 2020 Jean R. AbiNader, Moroccan American Center Many countries are facing declining growth rates due to the pandemic and Morocco is no exception. Given lockdowns and flight restrictions implemented worldwide early on, tourism and hospitality, usually the third largest component of GDP, have suffered enormous losses and the sector almost collapsed during the first 90 days of the global response to C-19. In the latest World Bank report, “Morocco Economic Monitor,” the Bank projected the Moroccan economy to contract in the next year, the first recession since 1995 due ..read more

Recent photograph of Abderrahmane Youssoufi in Marrakech wearing the official DOD Secretarial hat sent to him by Secretary Cohen Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.)May 29, 2020 Today, one of Morocco’s greatest patriots, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, passed away in Morocco. As a young man, he fought for Morocco’s independence, then joined the opposition in fighting for a democratic and modern country. His final contribution was as its Prime Minister, ushering in the new Morocco and its historic transition to democracy, under two enlightened and enabling Kings, Hassan II and Mohammed VI. I arrived i ..read more

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN WESTERN SAHARA, ADOPTING RESOLUTION 2494 – October 31, 2019 UN PHOTO Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.)May 28, 2020 It is estimated that the gross world product (GWP) will decline over 6% in 2020 from 2019, reducing growth by trillions of dollars, mainly due to the pandemic. This is going to have a devastating effect on countries with weak economies and low incomes, as well as those wholly dependent on oil revenue, two key categories which define Morocco on the one hand and Algeria on the other. An unusual number of countries wil ..read more

Covid-19 : Morocco’s economic capital under strict compliance with the health emergency Photo: MAP Jean R. AbiNader May 26, 2020 Jean R. AbiNader, Moroccan American Center The impact of COVID-19 has yet to play out in the global economy as supply chains shift, priorities on domestic industries emerge, food security becomes a dominate concern, and the recognition that recovery must focus on more and better jobs in the short and medium term for the local population. In a country like Morocco, this entails more than sustaining the current economy and workforce. Although these are critical imm ..read more

Jean R. AbiNader May 14, 2020 Jean R. AbiNader, Moroccan American Center Morocco, with strong leadership from King Mohammed VI, is committed to finding opportunities to restructure and redirect its economy to be better prepared for other potential calamities such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy is already facing a downturn due to drought which may result in as much as a 42% decline in 2019-2020 cereal production. However, given advances in the agricultural sector over the past few years, overall agricultural GDP is not expected to decline more that 5%. In other agricultural news, the F ..read more