Morocco may have a more favourable international profile today than at any time in its modern history. That is partly a matter of contrast. Around the region to its west and south, states have descended into instability and civil strife, and in some cases towards brutal civil war. Against such bleakness, Morocco stands out for its stability, economic growth and relative liberalism. It has weathered the fallout from the Arab revolts better than many elsewhere in the Arab world. Yet repression of the media and independent bloggers is greater today than before 2011. Nor is it easy to have a substantively open debate, not least on economic issues.
Morocco's achievements in recent decades cannot be discounted. In the 1970s, the longevity of the monarchical system was open to doubt after two attempts on the life of King Hassan II. In 1983, the country defaulted on its international debt, leaving the IMF to steer it through a structural-adjustment process.
Since Mohammed VI succeeded his father in 1999, changes initiated before the turn of the century have taken their course. The country’s transport infrastructure has improved. Some of its major state and private companies have become more nimble international players than hitherto, helping to project the country’s influence into west Africa - and beyond the southern Atlantic into Brazil. A new class of private entrepreneurs is shaking up what used to be a very complacent establishment. Foreign debt is now well below the levels of the 1990s. Average annual personal income has reached $3,300.
