Spanish elections and its impact in foreign policy

One of the first sovereign decisions of independent Morocco was to create the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) on 14 May 1956. Since then, the mission of the Moroccan army is consistent with the country's historical continuity shaped by strategic constants, it has however been subject to both conceptual and operational pressures since the late 1990s, as the lines between defense and security have blurred. This paper explores the central issue of adjusting the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) to a r ...

The global migration problem cannot be wished away; it has to be managed. Morocco provides an example of how responsibility for migration management can be handled by African states. The latest statistics of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) identify the Western Mediterranean route from Morocco to Spain as the busiest migratory route into Europe last year, with 57,034 illegal attempts to enter the continent recorded. However, a parallel look at the Moroccan gover ...

The bells of Big Ben are silent. No toll, no sound, for two years of restoration. Big Ben is a symbol of British parliament and democracy –the Palace of Westminster. The bells may not toll, but the clock is ticking, running forward above the heads of  Britain’s parliamentarians, who are facing history and turmoil and even the dispersing of their parties, in power for centuries. Time is running out. The no deal Brexit, possible on October 31, is creeping up on the United Kingdom like ...

Two days ago, Boris Johnson was appointed as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom after Theresa May stood down over her failure to lead Britain out of the European Union. Below is an international press review of events leading to this British political change of scenery by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany's leading newsmagazine "Der Spiegel", and columnist at the Policy Center for the New South.  Ellen Barry, international correspond ...

Depuis son indépendance, en 1960, la République centrafricaine n’a connu presque pas de répit, à cause des différents soulèvements, rebellions, coups d’Etat et interventions étrangères. Cet Etat, conçu par le bon vouloir du système colonial, avec des frontières multiples et des richesses immenses, va concentrer l’ensemble des contradictions et points négatifs du continent africain, à savoir la mauvaise gouvernance, avec toutes ses formes et manifestations à l’extrême, et les conflit ...

In Turkey, Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu decisively won the rerun of the mayoral election in Istanbul last weekend. The new elections were called after pressure from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the original vote in March by a narrow margin. Below is an international press review of events leading to the elections' results, by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany' ...

"German chancellor Angela Merkel may be forced to cede her power earlier than expected after episodes of violent and controllable shaking in public has led party officials to fear for her health." Announcements we have been reading in the press these past days. Below is an international press review of events leading to these times of uncertainty, by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign editor, and Middle East expert for Germany's leading newsmagazine "Der Spiegel", and columnist at the Pol ...

Few weeks ago, I gained the chance of reading the UN Security Council resolution 2468 of 30 April on MINURSO , and was surprised by the frequently repeated expression of “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania”, instead of the previous “all parties and neighbours”. Besides, it was reported that the US representative twice referred to “Morocco, the Frente Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania” in his short remark in the Security Council meeting1. Shortly after that, I co ...

One week ago, Bahrain has hosted the "Peace to Prosperity" workshop to discuss what the United States has described as the economic part of President Donald Trump's "deal of the century", his proposal for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian leadership boycotted the meeting on June 25 and 26 in Manama, leading critics to question the credibility of the event. Below is an international press review of events preceding the workshop by Helmut Sorge, former Foreign ...