Morocco is under a fierce and systematic media attack
Morocco has been under a fierce and systematic media attack since President Trump announced his recognition of the Moroccan Sahara. After the articles published by Professor Stephen Zunes at the University of San Francisco - known for his hostility to Morocco and his desperate defense of the Polisario and for his use of all kinds of misinformation, propaganda, and lying in order to achieve his agenda - John Bolton and James Baker published opinion articles in Foreign Policy and The Washington Post, respectively. At the time the former UN envoy, Christopher Ross, made statements to some media outlets. As was expected of them and given their history and their convictions related to personal interests and relations, the common denominator of their media outputs is an attempt to persuade the new president, Joe Biden, to cancel the decision taken by Trump.
In order to convince him, these characters resorted to all roundabout methods, using the narrative and talking points used by Algeria and all the supporting countries, and presented the conflict in an absolute way that is unjust and oppressed, far from reality. It also did not take into account the developments in the conflict during the last two decades, nor the reasons behind the impossibility of organizing the referendum.
If their articles are not based on reality and truth, this does not matter and it is not the goal they seek to achieve, because what matters in the media war is those who set the narrative and control it in a way that enables it to influence decision-makers. Through this onslaught against Morocco, the voices supporting the Polisario have come to dominate the narrative, especially as they are famous personalities and exploit their fame to do propaganda for the benefit of the Polisario and Algeria.
Meanwhile, there does not seem to be any media strategy to stand against this tide and this negative flow of articles that harm Morocco's interests in order to neutralize them. I have not yet read any article in any of the famous American newspapers giving an image or another picture on the subject or defending the eligibility of Trump's decision to end the conflict over desert and put an end to the stalemate that he suffers due to the intransigence of Algeria and the Polisario and the failure of the United Nations to adopt a realistic and applicable approach, The failure is mainly due to the conflict of interests of the permanent members of the Security Council and the absence of any desire to effectively implement the resolutions adopted by the Security Council since 2007, which call on the parties to the conflict to reach a constructive political solution acceptable to both parties.
I fear that this fierce media campaign against Morocco will continue in the coming days and weeks and affect the next administration in a way that makes it seriously consider reconsidering Trump's decision. Algeria and the states and groups supporting it no longer have anything to lose, including the pressure groups that work for Algeria formally and informally, and which feed from this conflict and get hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in order to maintain this file for a longer term. It is not in the interest of these groups for the United States to decide its position on the conflict in favor of Morocco, because that would mean stopping one of their sources of income on the continent. Hence, the campaign that we are witnessing was imminent. However, what was not expected was the absence of a Moroccan counter-campaign in the same media.
I do not know if the Moroccan authorities are going to hold behind-the-scenes contacts with those close to President Biden or with some influential figures within the Democratic Party to persuade the US administration to preserve the decision adopted by Trump. And if I have a personal conviction based on an objective analysis and reading of the American political scene that it will be difficult for President Biden to take a decision that would affect relations between Morocco and the United States of America in an unprecedented way, but we must not underestimate the power of the pro-Algerian lobby and its ability to influence Nothing but to preserve his interests. Morocco should not continue to leave the media arena empty for its opponents to impose the narrative they want in order to influence public opinion and civil society institutions.
Thus, the Moroccan government should move quickly and communicate with the parties close to it in the United States in order to help it stand against these influential voices that seek to influence the new American administration. Relying back and saying that Morocco won the battle once and for all in Washington is not the solution, and it may lead to opposite results that may affect its position and undermine the diplomatic momentum it has achieved over the past four years.
Organizing rallies and rallies in Morocco or in Washington to express our joy and delight at Trump's decision will not help to preserve this acquisition with President Biden. What will help Morocco is the launch of a media campaign against the media campaign launched by the pro-Algerian horns. If there is any time when Morocco needs to do this and mobilize all its supporters in Washington, then this is the time.