DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 3 | MOROCCOEUROPEAN UNION Qatargate probe turns the heat on Rabat 24th January 2023 Belgium's judicial investigation into the bribery of European politicians is going beyond Qatar to include Morocco It is the biggest probe into corruption in the European Union for over two decades and centres on claims that Qatar and Morocco bought influence in the European parliament. In the ... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 19 | KENYAMOROCCOWESTERN SAHARA Ruto starts political fights as he shifts subsidies 16th September 2022 After ending fuel and maize subsidies, the new President got in a diplomatic tangle while cutting a deal with Rabat on cheaper fertiliser In a mark of political self-confidence President William Ruto announced swingeing cuts to fuel and maize subsidies at his inauguration on 12 September at Nairobi's Kasarani stadium...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 18 | MOROCCOAFRICA Rabat turns fertiliser diplomacy to its advantage 30th August 2022 Washington is backing Morocco's efforts to boost supplies which could undercut Russia's attempts at economic diplomacy in Africa Competition for fertiliser and the minerals needed to make it are intensifying after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The war is set to drive a 7% drop in global fertiliser production... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 17 | MOROCCOUNITED NATIONSWESTERN SAHARA Rabat and Algiers cross swords over UN role 11th August 2022 Western Sahara remains in limbo while the two states tussling over it step up guerrilla diplomacy The latest skirmishes in the long-running struggle between Morocco and Algeria over Western Sahara have drawn in the UN as they exchange fire over allegations of impropriety by the...
Vol 63 No 14 | MOROCCOSPAINEUROPEAN UNION Death at the border 7th July 2022 The death of over 25 migrants on 24 June after more than 2,000 people tried to jump the fence separating the enclave of Melilla and Nador, in northern Morocco, has prompted a furio...
Vol 63 No 9 | ALGERIAMOROCCORUSSIA Navigating through the fog of cold war 28th April 2022 Only one national cause defines policy in Algiers and Rabat – and it isn't Ukraine For Algeria and its ally, the Polisario Front, as for their bitter rival Morocco, a 'national cause' remains their main preoccupation. For Algeria it is independence of the Saharan...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 9 | MOROCCOUNITED STATESSPAINWESTERN SAHARA Washington and Brussels edge back on Western Sahara 21st April 2022 Recognising Algeria's power on gas supply, the US and the EU are rowing back on support for Morocco's plan for the disputed region After tilting strongly in favour of Rabat's offer of 'limited autonomy' to the Western Sahara as an alternative to a UN-organised referendum, the United States and the European Uni... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 7 | MOROCCOSPAINWESTERN SAHARA Dropping the Polisario Front, Madrid backs Rabat 24th March 2022 The Spanish government's endorsement of Morocco's plan for Western Sahara could have unintended consequences Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares' statement late on 18 March that Spain views Rabat's plan for 'limited autonomy' to the Western Sahara as 'the most serious, realistic, ... READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 7 | MOROCCOUNITED STATESISRAEL Rabat strengthens Sahara grip 31st March 2022 Morocco is exerting an ever-tighter grip on the diplomacy over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, after Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid became the latest to endorse its...
DISPATCHES Vol 63 No 6 | MOROCCOUNITED STATES Rabat's lobbying of Washington on Western Sahara has paid off 14th March 2022 Biden's nod towards King Mohammed VI fits with widening links with authoritarians as Russia-Ukraine war sharpens geopolitical alignments Rabat has stepped up its lobbying efforts in the United States in recent months to persuade President Joe Biden's administration that it should not unpick the Trump administration'... READ FOR FREE