War and Peace: Effects on Foreign Aid in Morocco
War often presents a series of conflicts between communities, which usually leads to societal disorders, excessive aggression, and high mortality. Often, war is orchestrated by the wrangles between different members or factions of a society with the intention of rearranging the material and psychological hierarchy of equality or domination among these groups. Peace, on the other hand, refers to a state of tranquility and freedom from violence or the fear of any disturbance, hostility, or retribution from any community. The African continent has witnessed several conflicts in different countries that have claimed lives of nationals and international citizens living in the states. However, the aspects of both peace and war have significantly influenced the distribution of foreign aid in the continent. While evaluating the positive and negative effects of peace and war respectively on foreign aid in Morocco, this paper also seeks to establish the efforts of the Moroccan leadership in using this aid to relieve the effects of war as well as how the foreign aid has reduced poverty in the country.
Foreign Aid and Societal Stability
In most cases, foreign aid has been based on the expressly and implicitly revealed between the recipient nation and the donor. Over the past, the Kingdom of Morocco was relatively stable as compared to other Islamic states such as Libya, Syria, and Iraq due to the increasing issues of police arrests and the undisclosed number of Moroccan citizens being recruited in Syria (Aghoutane " Karim, 2017). The radicalization of the youth continues to become a major concern for the political administration. Additionally, the rising poverty levels, the surge in unemployment among the youth, and the conquest of the peaceful political opposition provide a breeding ground for the radicalization of the youth.
The Role of Leadership in Foreign Aid
The leadership of a nation is very significant in the management of foreign aid programs. Before a program commences, the leaders and the donor reach an agreement on a set of principles that govern the program. In Morocco, during the Arab Spring of 2011, King Mohammed VI commenced several constitutional reforms in the country after the pro-democracy demonstrations in major cities of the nation (Bounouar, 2017). Despite failing to abandon power and usher in a new system of democratic leadership, he managed to increase the independence and the role played by the Moroccan Prime Minister. Additionally, the ushering of the new constitution temporarily succeeded in reducing the crisis. The foreign aid given to the local civil rights organizations and the government were aimed to ensure that the country remains peaceful.
Foreign Aid: Poverty Reduction and Peace Promotion
Foreign aid not only reduces poverty but also assists the leaders in improving peace programs in the country. Through mediation of the programs funded through the United States, based on the country's strong military ties with the United States, strived to calm the streets and coordination between the Prime Minister and the King. During the Arab Spring, many people lost their lives and many others became homeless (Sakthivel, 2017). The humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross and many other local organizations received aid from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide support to the families in the cold (Arab Reform and Foreign Aid: Lessons from Morocco, 2006). These funds were also used to preach peace and tranquility as the political leaders iron out their differences to facilitate democracy.
The Impact of War on Foreign Aid Distribution
While peace encourages the distribution of foreign aid throughout the country, war makes it very difficult to reach different regions. During the Arab Spring, traversing the terrain was very difficult, thereby complicating the process of conducting a detailed assessment of the level of foreign aid required to support the needy members of society. Additionally, war brings about the destruction of property. The matches on the streets resulted in the loss of property for most of the humanitarian organizations receiving foreign aid (Hirst, 2011). The structures put in place to manage the distribution of foreign aid were under threat of extinction when people are fighting. On the other hand, peace promotes unity among the political, religious, and civic leaders and their followers. This unity helps in soliciting for resources that can be used to fight poverty in the developing country.
Conclusion
Terrorism has been one of the biggest concerns in Morocco with the increasing radicalization of the unemployed youth in the country. The rising poverty levels, the surge in unemployment among the youth, and the conquest of the peaceful political opposition provide a breeding ground for the radicalization of the youth. The international community, especially the United States, The World Bank, and The International Monetary Fund, are working with other development partners such as Red Cross to help the country go through solving the transition from authoritarian rule to a working democracy. The King and the Prime Minister represent the highest political offices in the country and beat the responsibility of reuniting the citizens. Currently, humanitarian foreign aid is helping reduce poverty by ensuring that the citizens get access to shelter, food, and medication in the vulnerable neighborhoods.
References
:Aghoutane, K., " Karim, M. (2017, April 15). The Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Morocco: Econometric Analysis Using VECM. International Journal of Economics and Finance. doi:10.5539/ijef.v9n5p87
Arab Reform and Foreign Aid: Lessons from Morocco. (2006, October 30). center for strategic and international studies . Retrieved from https://www.csis.org/analysis/arab-reform-and-foreign-aid-lessons-morocco
Bounouar, J. (2017). Moroccan King Mohammed VI Appoints a New Government. Africa News. Retrieved from https://www.africa.com/moroccan-king-mohammed-vi-appoints-a-new-government/
Hirst, J. D. (2011, Aug 27). Morocco — An Arab Spring Success. The Huff Post .
Sakthivel, V. (2017, August 18). Six years after the Arab Spring, Morocco is experiencing its own unrest.
