Morocco

Abstract

In our investigation of the link between contested state identities and Euro-Mediterranean regional security, Morocco is the last of our case studies. According to the preliminary findings, Morocco is less plagued by domestic identity conflicts, while it was also actively participating in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the time span under consideration (November 1995 until the end of 2002). Thus, Morocco seems to provide an “inverse” example of our argument. While seeking to test and explain the preliminary findings, this chapter starts with a discussion of Morocco’s state identity, its main themes and challengers. In this context, it is necessary to explore the monarchy’s institutional powers over domestic and identity politics. Subsequently, alternative concepts of Morocco’s state identity are assessed. When and why did alternative interpretations emerge, what characterizes competing concepts, and how significant are they in present-day Morocco? Shifting the attention to the state level, the second part of this chapter concentrates on Morocco’s participation in and strategy toward the EMP. The last part of this chapter seeks to link Morocco’s identity features to its policy toward Euro-Mediterranean regional security.