Tweet
Nato’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe:
Pour la sécurité de l’Europe, celle ci doit contribuer à construire ce qu’a détruit le séisme au Maroc
Opinion Morocco Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco Ukraine has shown that we cannot afford to be complacent about the threats spreading from the region RICHARD SHIRREFF
Hannah McKay/Reuters Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on x (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on facebook (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on linkedin (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Richard Shirreff YESTERDAY 64 Print this page Receive free Morocco updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Morocco news every morning. The writer is Nato’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Morocco’s vow to rebuild after the earthquake which has claimed almost 3,000 lives is both ambitious and extremely necessary. This country of 37mn people has led every metric of economic development in Africa and sees itself as a fount of stability in the region. Catastrophes on this scale are hard to predict and only so much can be done to mitigate them in advance. But there are crises in our world today that are wholly predictable — we can’t plead ignorance when they appear at our borders. The war in Ukraine has shown Europe that we cannot afford to be complacent about the threats to our continental security. It’s made especially clear the risk of demurring on military spending and of believing the balance of power would never again be altered by force. But the war has also taught us about an untapped strength — the power of strategic partnerships to intervene in crises and preserve regional security. Ukraine is fighting for its life and ours. Our future aim must be to avoid this scenario by forming partnerships that anticipate and prevent conflict rather than forcing them back from Europe’s threshold. We must use predictive intelligence and strategic insight to identify the places where instability could fall into chaos and equip allies to contain it. Today that means looking south as well as east — beyond Morocco to the Sahel, one of the most volatile regions on earth. Without a proactive, long-term strategy that treats regional allies like Morocco with the seriousness we took so long to afford Ukraine, the situation will deteriorate. Since the 1990s, while western governments staked their future on permanent peace, a swath of nations across Africa, from Guinea to Chad, have endured successive coups. These conditions proved ideal for the growth of alliances between organised crime groups, terrorist franchises, smugglers of people, goods and humanitarian aid sent by the west, and for insurgents seeking to break up sovereign nations. They also drive migration: there are 4.2mn displaced people across the Sahel, with some of them making the treacherous journey north then across the Mediterranean. The spread of criminal networks also precludes any development that could improve life in the region — on climate resilience, trade and education, political and institutional reform and the enfranchisement of women and minority religious and ethnic groups. These factors determine a region’s stability. As we have learnt from experience, they cannot be installed from without — certainly not by western governments. Our continued support and diplomatic engagement are critical, but they can have no weight without partners who have a stake, a voice and a strategic position in the region, and can bring about real and lasting change. Morocco is a uniquely positioned ally: even before this terrible disaster, we should have been far more closely engaged. As an intelligence and counter-terrorism partner, they have stopped more than 300 attempted attacks since 9/11. On migration, over the past five years they have taken down more than a thousand human trafficking networks and prevented upwards of 300,000 illegal crossings. Crucially, 45,000 immigrants have been integrated into Moroccan society, many from the Sahel. But above all, Morocco is a western-facing, Mediterranean country that appreciates the importance of civic reform and economic development, with a record of promoting both across the continent. King Mohammed VI has mediated conflicts across the Sahel, helped to negotiate over a hundred co-operation agreements and deployed more than 70,000 UN peacekeepers. Morocco is also the second-largest investor in economic development on the continent and a crucial guarantor of its food security. Working more closely, we would learn a great deal about the region’s complexities. For example, Morocco’s plan for the autonomy of the Western Sahara — supported by the US and other international allies as a solution to prolonged bouts of regional conflict — requires our attention as part of a considered strategy. Above all, we need to show that we understand that the region’s future must be forged by those who will live it. The failure of European policy in the Sahel is rooted in a failure to recognise this fact. It has brought us to a critical juncture; a real need to act more quickly and decisively to de-escalate crises must be tempered by the knowledge that actions taken without the support and regional leadership provided by our allies will never succeed. The answer is to accept the lessons we have learnt through Ukraine, and finally treat European and global security as synonymous. We need friends in Africa just as much as they need us.
Pour la sécurité de l’Europe, celle ci doit contribuer à construire ce qu’a détruit le séisme au Maroc
Opinion Morocco Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco Ukraine has shown that we cannot afford to be complacent about the threats spreading from the region RICHARD SHIRREFF
Hannah McKay/Reuters Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on x (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on facebook (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on linkedin (opens in a new window) Western security depends on rebuilding Morocco on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Richard Shirreff YESTERDAY 64 Print this page Receive free Morocco updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Morocco news every morning. The writer is Nato’s former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Morocco’s vow to rebuild after the earthquake which has claimed almost 3,000 lives is both ambitious and extremely necessary. This country of 37mn people has led every metric of economic development in Africa and sees itself as a fount of stability in the region. Catastrophes on this scale are hard to predict and only so much can be done to mitigate them in advance. But there are crises in our world today that are wholly predictable — we can’t plead ignorance when they appear at our borders. The war in Ukraine has shown Europe that we cannot afford to be complacent about the threats to our continental security. It’s made especially clear the risk of demurring on military spending and of believing the balance of power would never again be altered by force. But the war has also taught us about an untapped strength — the power of strategic partnerships to intervene in crises and preserve regional security. Ukraine is fighting for its life and ours. Our future aim must be to avoid this scenario by forming partnerships that anticipate and prevent conflict rather than forcing them back from Europe’s threshold. We must use predictive intelligence and strategic insight to identify the places where instability could fall into chaos and equip allies to contain it. Today that means looking south as well as east — beyond Morocco to the Sahel, one of the most volatile regions on earth. Without a proactive, long-term strategy that treats regional allies like Morocco with the seriousness we took so long to afford Ukraine, the situation will deteriorate. Since the 1990s, while western governments staked their future on permanent peace, a swath of nations across Africa, from Guinea to Chad, have endured successive coups. These conditions proved ideal for the growth of alliances between organised crime groups, terrorist franchises, smugglers of people, goods and humanitarian aid sent by the west, and for insurgents seeking to break up sovereign nations. They also drive migration: there are 4.2mn displaced people across the Sahel, with some of them making the treacherous journey north then across the Mediterranean. The spread of criminal networks also precludes any development that could improve life in the region — on climate resilience, trade and education, political and institutional reform and the enfranchisement of women and minority religious and ethnic groups. These factors determine a region’s stability. As we have learnt from experience, they cannot be installed from without — certainly not by western governments. Our continued support and diplomatic engagement are critical, but they can have no weight without partners who have a stake, a voice and a strategic position in the region, and can bring about real and lasting change. Morocco is a uniquely positioned ally: even before this terrible disaster, we should have been far more closely engaged. As an intelligence and counter-terrorism partner, they have stopped more than 300 attempted attacks since 9/11. On migration, over the past five years they have taken down more than a thousand human trafficking networks and prevented upwards of 300,000 illegal crossings. Crucially, 45,000 immigrants have been integrated into Moroccan society, many from the Sahel. But above all, Morocco is a western-facing, Mediterranean country that appreciates the importance of civic reform and economic development, with a record of promoting both across the continent. King Mohammed VI has mediated conflicts across the Sahel, helped to negotiate over a hundred co-operation agreements and deployed more than 70,000 UN peacekeepers. Morocco is also the second-largest investor in economic development on the continent and a crucial guarantor of its food security. Working more closely, we would learn a great deal about the region’s complexities. For example, Morocco’s plan for the autonomy of the Western Sahara — supported by the US and other international allies as a solution to prolonged bouts of regional conflict — requires our attention as part of a considered strategy. Above all, we need to show that we understand that the region’s future must be forged by those who will live it. The failure of European policy in the Sahel is rooted in a failure to recognise this fact. It has brought us to a critical juncture; a real need to act more quickly and decisively to de-escalate crises must be tempered by the knowledge that actions taken without the support and regional leadership provided by our allies will never succeed. The answer is to accept the lessons we have learnt through Ukraine, and finally treat European and global security as synonymous. We need friends in Africa just as much as they need us.
Commentaire