Casablanca- While the waves of upheavals almost swept the entire the MENA region, leaving behind instability, insecurity and uncertainty, Morocco has exceptionally proved to be “a regional ‘anchor’ state…[for] the Maghreb-Sahel,” concluded an American study conducted by The Soufan Group (TSG).
A study conducted by the Soufan Groupe (TSG), an international strategic consultancy firm based in New York, has shed light on the “exceptionality” of Morocco amid the turbulences brought about by the Arab Spring in the region.
“The kingdom avoided revolutionary tumult and violent repression, and while their neighbors were still struggling to come to terms with the Arab Spring, Moroccans were accelerating their decades-old process of political and social renewal through precedent-setting constitutional and institutional reforms, including those for migrant and asylum-seeker protections, following recommendations from Morocco’s Human Rights Commission (CNDH),” reads the synthesis of the study published on TSG’s official website.
The study also sheds light on Morocco’s “comprehensive counterterrorism strategy,” which has been hailed in the annual US Department of State’s Country Reports on Terrorism. This counterterrorism strategy was developed by the kingdom in reaction to the assaults that had shaken its stability over the past few years.
“The Moroccan government [has] continued to implement internal reforms aimed at ameliorating the socio-economic factors that terrorists exploit,” TSG cites the US State Department.
The study also highlights the fruits of king Mohammed VI’s visit to the White House, during which “Morocco’s efforts to counter the threat of regional violent extremism” were applauded by US President Barak Obama.
TSG’s study also lauded the importance of the American-Moroccan cooperation “on civilian and military issues and the promotion of mutual understanding and regional interfaith dialogue.”
While highlighting the virtues of the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco as a serious and realistic solution to the Sahara conflict, the study points out the kingdom’s "significant" contributions to regional security and stability, “especially in Mali."
Morocco had exerted pressure on the UN Security Council to allow an African intervention in Mali. “Civilian physicians as well as medical units from Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces were dispatched to Bamako, Mali, to set up a field hospital to boost the Malian capital’s limited healthcare capacity,” the study highlights.
Finally, the study stressed the significance of the “substantial resources and political capital” Morocco has invested in addressing transnational migration issues and implementing human rights reform.
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