Marrakesh terrorist attack?

On Thursday, April 28th, a bomb killed around 16 people in the busiest tourist attraction in Marrakesh, Morocco. Moroccans and tourists died in this horrible attack. As for now nobody knows who did it and why. Some are already pointing at extremist Islamic groups. It is too early to clearly state who did it and every speculation is only the result, indirect result, of what is happening in the Arab world. In any case, if this was an action aiming at the pro-western Moroccan government in order to reduce foreign influence, it will not succeed. However, the political leaders and mainly the king should meditate about the situation in the country. Once again they have a warning sign demanding a real change for Morocco. The demonstrations that have been happening since February will not stop until the three main demands are met, which in fact could be summarized in only one word: real democracy. The apparent freedom given to Moroccans since the king Mohammed VI took over his father after his death (back in 1999) is not a real one and furthermore not in the main sectors of the country daily life: economy, justice and education. Not to mention the corruption that is probably higher now than ever. To be perfectly honest, the king should fire the whole government and appoint new people who have never been involved in politics to conduct the changes. He should demand to the people who took advantage of the regime to return their wealth, or at least a good part of it, and to stop being involved in the economy and politics. But that is only a pretty nice dream that will not happen. Too much is at stake, and the first hurdle is the people who take advantage of the non democratic regime. But one can always dream? In any case a terrorist attack is in no way an answer to any problem, political or social. Killing people who are just having a nice coffee or tea in a beautiful square (Jamaa Al Fnaa is the famous square where Hitchcock's 1956 movie "The Man Who Knew To Much" with Jimmy Steward and Doris Day was partly shot) where tourists from all over the world and Moroccans gather all day long. The first probable result will be a decrease in tourism in the country. But will this tragedy have an impact in the changes that the people are demanding? I do hope that the answer is YES. But I don't know.

War in Arab countries

April 27th

The uprising started in February in Lybia and as today, April 27th, it is still on. It is a fact that Gaddafi and his supporters are in bad shape since the beginning of the NATO attacks but his army is still holding the capital Tripoli. Then other countries are also boiling and masses march against their rulers and their systems. Syria and Morocco are two other examples, although different, where the people are fed up by their regimes. Syria is indeed a dictatorship. Morocco, one of the few countries in the Arab world with more freedom of speech, is showing its limits. It is true that since the new king took over his father, the late Hassan II in 1999, the situation improved a lot, both economically and politically. But what is happening today, is a proof that changing rulers doesn't necessary mean a new life for the masses. The biggest problem, or to be honest one of the biggest, is corruption. People like to be able to express themselves but if their economical situation doesn't improve it is a dead end for them. Western countries see Morocco as an example amongst Arab nations. But it is either a non impartial view (too much stakes at risk for them) or a misunderstanding of the needs of Moroccans. More freedom yes, but a better life. That is what they want.

The awekening of Arab people

No one ever thought that Arab People would one day wake up and succeed in ousting their corrupted presidents and head of states. No one thought that they would succeed after years of apparent acceptation. After decades of humiliation Arab people marched in the streets of cities where only a few weeks ago political police was feared so much that they would not even talk to each other about their governments. An suddenly they were out in the streets shouting words against their rulers. All of a sudden those dictators were as vulnerable as any citizen in his and her day to day life in those countries. But the most interesting part of it is that Europe and the USA (but much less) have never realized that Arab People were fed up by their "non life" and didn't have anything else to lose. And once a human being feels that he doesn't have anything to lose he or she can do things that are well above the reality. That is what has happened in Arab countries.

Lybia

Lybia's Gadafi is still fighting for his survival because we can only assume that he is going to loose shortly. Now that NATO and the most powerful countries in the world are bombing his positions and his army. But what will happen after? Which country will be prominent there after Gadafi's fall? I do hope that the US will be the leader in the new Lybia. France is trying desperatly to regain a kind of importance in the world. Fortunately for the world it will never be what it was centuries ago. Today's France is an open racist country, mainly toward Arabs and Africans. Its president, who thinks highly of himself (fortunately he is the only one who thinks that he is good) doesn't stop pointing at Arabs and Africans as not belonging to the country's values. Which one would like to know what those values are. At the same time he gives the false impression that he is with people who live under a dictator, like Tunisia and Egypt before their revolutions. And now he wishes to do the same with Lybians. But don't get mistaken. People know exactly who he is and what his ideas are in terms of races. He likes Arabs' money and Africans' natural ressources. But what he doesn't understand, and that is fortunate, is that having French from Arab or African descent in his country should be a plus for foreign relations. A little bit like what the US is trying to do. But for him and his party, we are only burden and people who don't know and respect French society. He only forgot that French did not let us feel at home here. They always told us that didn't belong to our country.Now it is time to show him that he is right. I'd advise Arabs and Africans to turn to the US where people know what immigration is and how to deal with Americans from foreign descents. And how to be seen as American.

Monday, February 21st

Well whoever thought that unrests would stop after the fall of Tunisia and Egypt's dictators. They were wrong. Now it is the turn of Libyans who are protesting heavily against the "supreme guide of the revolution", the infamous Gadhafi. And last sunday, it was Morocco's turn to see thousand of people in the streets of the capital but also in Casablanca, Tangiers and Marrakesh. Their demands are different from those that we heard in Tunisia or Egypt. But there are common points: corruption and more liberty. Will the king listen to those people who invaded the streets or will he be as deaf as the other former chiefs of states?

And now? What's next?

Everybody is talking about the Arab people uprising and wondering which country will be next? Fingers point to Yemen, Algeria, Jordan and Morocco. Before asking if those countries could get rid of their leaders, it would better to try to see if there are comparable to Tunisia and Egypt? Apart from the fact that they are Arab countries and not really democracies, they are very different. Their regimes and rulers are different. Their problems also. But what is exactly the same is the situation of the lowest class of people and the youth. The poor are poorer and they don't have a lot of opportunities to rise from their level of poverty. There is not enough work and reasonably well paid works for them nor for the youth. And the other problem that is common to all those countries is corruption. It is an endemic situation with no apparent will to eliminate or at least reduce it. The rulers know about this illness (we really are faced with an illness of people who rule a country in non democratic countries) but don't fight it. Or at least not officially. And there remains the main problem in countries like Morocco and to a certain point Jordan. The two other countries have also the problem of non democracy. So which country could be next? But before trying to answer this question, it'll be good to see those uprisings not as a trend but as a real will to change. The people, accessing the Internet and therefore what is happening in other free and democratic countries, start thinking that they have the right to be free, to live a better life and to be able to express themselves without restrain and without the threat of jail or/and tortures.