Home > Is Morocco a trustworthy neighbour?
Morocco had been making decisions based on Bush propaganda catchphrases about the terrorism threaten. Thanks to that, it was presented as “a trustworthy ally” in the global war against terrorism in the US, England, France, Spain, etc. It tried to exploit this point to urge the international community to think that Polisario is a terrorist organization. Now, Morocco tries to show Algeria as Iran of the Maghreb. Its lobbies claim that Algeria search to have the atomic weapon.
The western standard perception of the Moroccan involvement with international terrorism is that Morocco is a rempart against terrorism. Morocco defaults to: a modern Arab nation with young modern King, the best Arab democracy available, with respect for the Jewish world. Morocco assists the USA with the interrogation of suspected Al Qaida terrorists, the modern Moroccan western oriented King has an Islamic opposition, it protects western interests, and keeps refugees from European shores, it buy Western arms. Etc. This is the standard idea about Morocco which is not true at all.
Morocco is not a modern society, but a medieval Sultanate in its core, spitting on international justice while having problems on all borders, with an sadistic police-corps under a maffiastyle billionaire ruler claiming to be the religious leader. Sure, Morocco helps to torture suspected Al Qaida terrorists, moroccan secret services are experts in this matter.
Of course this bad picture can not be enough reason to believe in Moroccan complicity with terrorism. Just like the modern image of Morocco can’t be a reason to trust it. In the end we can only judge this nation (or any other) by its action. What do they do for peace and stability in the Maghreb region? What is their attitude against terror in Algeria?
Of course do neighbours have obligations towards each other. If you see the home next door is on fire you are not simply going to watch it burn. Fire is a common enemy. The same goes for Islamist terror, it is a common enemy to everybody in the civilized world. If one is under attack the neighbours will help. So Morocco must have supported Algeria in some yet undisclosed way.
What does Morocco do to assure Algeria it is a trustworthy neighbour? What are the answers to the suspicion that Morocco is using Islamist terror as a tool for politics abroad? Nothing. Indifference. Intelligence is what matters in this case. So the question is: did Morocco provide Algeria with information and was it willing to provide it? We don’t know of such assistance and that such is not advertised. So suspicion or the presumption this assistance is not given can arise.
What does Morocco to reply to accusations about poor border control? They do not care and hope their image is powerful enough. The arrogance is so enormous. They claim to solve several political murders in Belgium, while silencing internal opposition in the case of Belliraj. They kick the Spanish intelligence antennas out because they have a problem with the revelations of Chakib el-Khayari, a human rights defender. How to qualify these actions? These are not typical for a good trustworthy ally but for an opportunistic undercover double policy.
The Moroccans tried to exploit the GIA early on as a potential quid-pro-quo for Western Sahara. This is what Layada, The GIA founder, keeps harping on about after his release.
Now accusations are coming from another part : Mali. As quoted by the french weekly Jeune Afrique, "from the Malian point of view, presses on the settlement of the salafiste question: the tensions between Algeria and Morocco. ” Islamist groups benefit obviously from certain supports of the Moroccan side “, accuses a the malian information services member. According to this one, it would be about a retort in the numerous links which Mali maintains with Polisario. It is true that the outfit of the AQMI armament, including radars, systems of jamming and even “rocket launchers” (banisters of rocket launcher installed aboard trucks), can difficulty been explained without the hypothesis of some well placed complicities …
Carlos Ruiz Miguel, Professor in Santiago de Compostela University, defined two very important embarrassing criteria for Morocco :
1-Who profit of the terrorism in Algeria?
2 - Why weapons coming from France and from Spain pass in transit by Morocco and are used in Algeria and not in Morocco?