Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ali Anouzla
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From Bouazizi to Khashoggi
When the young Tunisian man, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself alight in protest against the municipal authorities in Sidi Bouzid confiscating his fruit cart from which he made living in 2010, he did not know that by doing so he would ignite the Arab Spring revolutions that brought down several...
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Thank you Canada
Canada took on a courageous position through its foreign minister and embassy in Riyadh when it expressed its concern regarding the Saudi authorities’ arrest of human rights activists, including women and called for their release. These human rights activists are only guilty of bravely expressing their opinions and defending...
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Othmani’s government in Morocco: A form of revenge?
When the royal palace in Morocco appointed the government of Abbas al-Fassi in 2007, on a fateful night in a mosque in the city of Fez, I described the government’s composition as a form of “official collective punishment” for all Moroccans who had boycotted that year’s elections. The elections...
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Why remove Benkirane but keep his party?
Even before last October’s legislative elections it was clear that the real authority in Morocco, which is basically the royal palace and its surroundings, does not want Islamists to continue to be part of the government. The implicit rejection of the only recognised Islamic political party in the country...
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Morocco, the Western Sahara and democracy
This issue will not be solved unless a solution to the problem of democracy in the region can be found. In a unilateral move, Morocco has decided to withdraw from the Alkrkrat Sahara region, preventing a conflict that was already on the verge of eruption in the area. For...
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Morocco’s shocking statistics issue a stark warning
Morocco’s official Planning Directorate revealed shocking figures last week concerning the labour market and the millions of unemployed youth in a country where they make up 75 per cent of the population. Among the alarming statistics is that around 1.7 million young people aged between 15 and 24 —...
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Obama’s farewell speech
The latest opinion poll published a few days ago in Germany indicated that 62 per cent of Germans who participated regret that US federal law does not allow President Barack Obama to run for a third term. The poll was relatively unusual, given that it was conducted in one...