Entries (RSS)Archive for 'Morocco'
Nostalgia, Excuses, and Starting Over
I want to express my intention to do something different, and strike off in a new direction. And in this, I hope you will help me.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 01 May 2013 at 20:45 under Anarchy, Culture, Media, Morocco, Personal.
Comments: 1
Do Kings Have “Special Legitimacy”?
The argument about the special legitimacy of kings is one often heard in Morocco, when explaining why Morocco has known comparatively little unrest since the Arab awakening began. However, the recent controversy over the bay’a, or ceremony of allegiance to the king, might be saying something different.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 05 Sep 2012 at 19:07 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: 1
Economic Monopoly, Political Stalemate in Morocco
Morocco shows a modernizing face to the world, with its high-speed trains and five-star hotels, but urban shantytowns and rural poverty are a stubborn reality behind the façade.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 06 Jul 2012 at 13:25 under Civil Rights, Economy, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: none
Morocco’s Divided Youth
The excluded class at the bottom is frustrated and angry, but they are the victim of years of social engineering designed to teach them passivity and resignation. February 20 activists will have their work cut out for them if they want to connect with this group, but it represents the only potential for February 20 to expand its base and become a majority movement.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 28 Jun 2011 at 11:37 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: 2
Is Morocco a “Liberalizing Autocracy”?
In light of the constitutional reform proposal of King Mohammed VI, perhaps it would be useful to take a look at this recent article about Jordan, which calls it a “liberalizing autocracy” gifted at creating the illusion of change.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 18 Jun 2011 at 13:09 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: 2
A Missed Opportunity?
The Arab Spring with its revolutions and uprisings opened a window in Morocco, for a frank and open exchange of views on all the essential questions. With a proposed new constitution in which things change only to remain the same, I fear that window is closing.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 18 Jun 2011 at 08:29 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: 2
Morocco’s Early Adopters
When a society is in flux and its conditions are changing, the old adaptations no longer work, and it is likely that those at the fringes, the outcasts and eccentrics, will discover qualities that had previously been shunned….
Posted by Marcel Côté on 09 Jun 2011 at 12:23 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics.
Comments: none
Movements Without Leaders
At times the February 20 Movement in Morocco has been criticized for not having a coherent leadership or a clear set of demands. A few observations from Syria may provide some encouragement.
Posted by Marcel Côté on 07 Jun 2011 at 13:15 under Civil Rights, Morocco, Politics, Syria.
Comments: none
Strength in Diversity
My latest essay for Talk Morocco is up, on the theme of “Moroccan identity.”
Posted by Marcel Côté on 19 Apr 2010 at 12:51 under Culture, Morocco.
Comments: none
Blogging in Morocco
Is it possible that the recent wave of criminal prosecutions is, paradoxically, a result of greater freedoms? Perhaps they are growing pains as journalists and bloggers test the limits, and the state struggles to define its new boundaries?
Posted by Marcel Côté on 13 Apr 2010 at 21:56 under Civil Rights, Media, Morocco.
Comments: 3