As a result of Islamist terrorism across North Africa, foreign ministers of 19 countries (including France and much of North Africa) attended a meeting in Morocco's capitol (Rabat) last November to consolidate effort against the AL Qaeda and its followers. This Rabat Declaration implies that there are some major changes coming to Europe and Africa. Regarding Al Qaeda prevention efforts, Morocco and France have acted with the most force; Morocco's efforts were largely diplomatic. Morocco has been heavily ostracized by neighboring Algeria--with Algeria's influence keeping Morocco the only nation on the continent excluded from the African Union and most regional security initiatives. When friction erupted in Mali, nations looked to Algeria to lead efforts to stabilize the country. However, when Algeria was slow to engage efforts, Morocco charged into action and saw a chance to partner with France to address issues as well as lead a coalition against jihadists in Mali.
Since then, Morocco has launched initiatives to boost trade and investments across the region by working with the EU and the USA. With the King of Morocco the head of state and the highest religious authority, the country worked to champion moderation and reform against extremist ideas across North Africa and Southern Europe using religious grounds. As Morocco builds on its success and expands its sphere of influence across Northern Africa and Southern Europe, the country shows no signs of loosing steam as it continues to announce partnerships with countries such as Tunisia, Guinea, and Libya to fight extremist ideas.
Website: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/morocco-modern-islam-and-the-future-of-africa-comment-special-to-ians-114022300072_1.html
From what I know about Morocco, its a very wealthy country and I find it interesting that Algeria has been able to bully it so much. It will be interesting to see how well Morocco's actions in Mali will go for bringing more power to the country in its respective region.
ReplyDeleteI think that its admirable that Morocco is taking a stand to fight these extremist ideas and groups in the region. I wonder if other North African nations will follow in their lead. I also think that this will help the nation strengthen its relations with the EU as its takes a strong stance on extremism.
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