Morocco's African Foreign Policy

Morocco’s African foreign policy is not new, although it features some new characteristics, such as an emphasis on the economy, its reach far beyond traditional francophone African circles, as well as unprecedented number of royal visits across Africa. There are also two non-material aspects to Morocco’s new approach: it comes with a South-South twist and may also indicate an identity shift in Morocco, as it seems that the focus on Africa is replacing the Arab-Islamic orientation that dominated under the late King Hassan II. However, one of main challenges of this policy is Morocco’s dual standing on migration: as the country is increasingly becoming, simultaneously, a sending country, a transit country and a host country for migrants, it faces some difficult choices that risk damaging some of its international alliances.