Blogging for a united Maghreb

08/06/2007

North African bloggers selected June 1st to blog about the Maghreb. They debated their differences and the problems impeding the existence of a more united Maghreb.

[Mossaab Benrhouma] Bloggers reflect on the state of the Maghreb union

Since Big Trap Boy’s appeal to bloggers to exchange their views on the Maghreb, numerous writers have sounded off with their opinions.

The campaign, according to Big Trap Boy, was an "open call to all Maghreb bloggers, Arab and non-Arab, to partake on June 1st 2007 in a collective call for Arab Maghreb states to move beyond the circumstantial conflicts that disturb the movement for integration and unity, and embark on practical and joint steps to pave the way for an economic Maghreb union… This initiative underlines the stand of participating Maghreb bloggers against political terrorism facing the region, and rejection of violence and extremism of all kinds… "

The Morocco Report wrote in favor of a Maghreb union, noting that the failure of the exiting Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) thus far stems from "fighting between Algeria and Morocco". The blogger expressed his disgust at "the way [Algeria] manipulated the issue in the Western Sahara, [and] Morocco’s refusal to hear a referendum on independence." He concluded by writing, "I support at least some semblance of a Maghreb Arab Union. If only for the reopening of the Algerian-Moroccan border - if only for a resolution on the Western Sahara."

Moroccan blogger Myrtus expressed her support for the initiative, responding: "I personally like the idea of a Maghreb Union… but [it] has never really become completely operational due to some regional squabbles." Frustrated that the region’s heads of state "don't seem to have their priorities straight", the blogger suggested that all the participants "email them a copy of our June 1st posts to bring our points across."

In his post "Maghreb of dictators," Hou-Hou blog predicted that there will not be a Maghreb as long as there are no "true democracies". Democracy, according to the blogger, is the "sine qua non condition of any successful project of economic, political, cultural or social integration in the region." The post concluded with the following declaration: "The Maghreb is neither a dream nor a utopia; it is an historical necessity, a pragmatic recipe for survival and success in a globalised world where ‘every man for himself’ is a losing choice."

Zizou from Djerba was not optimistic about the potential for Maghreb unity. Writing that the plan for a Maghreb Union "looks simple at first glance", but "sadly all attempts to establish a union have failed... in my opinion it is too easy to blame politicians for their ineffectiveness. To me, it is important to have a realistic picture of the current situation in our individual countries before pursuing unification."

Disappointed in some of the bloggers' responses, blogger and creator of the campaign’s logo Mossaab wrote, "Wake up, as those we were accusing of plotting against us to try to separate us [the West] are the same who now encourage our integration and the creation of an economic and political coalition. The Western Sahara issue has engaged every country of the world... [They] have all sent emissaries to mediate and solve the problem, but what have we done? Nothing."

"The Maghreb has to become an open space in which all North Africans are able to freely move," wrote Amina Talhimet, imagining a Maghreb where people have the right to drive from Nouakchott to Tripoli through Rabat, Algiers and Tunis without a visa. The Moroccan blogger praised the initiative and suggested that the next "blogging for..." event should be "for Africa".