Heritage Foundation: Washington counts Rabat as it resets its defense strategy & foreign policy
As the United States is resetting its defense strategy and foreign policy in North Africa and West Africa, Washington is enhancing its cooperation ties with strategically located countries like Morocco to secure its interests and promote regional security.
In an analysis published by U.S. Heritage Foundation, Amine Ghoulidi, a Visiting Fellow in Heritage’s Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security & Foreign Policy, said Morocco stands out as a particularly promising avenue for expanded U.S. regional partnerships.
The Trump administration significantly strengthened the U.S.-Moroccan relationship by brokering a historic agreement normalizing relations with Israel and recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, said the expert.
These diplomatic milestones, combined with Morocco’s strong military capabilities, proven counterterrorism cooperation, and strategic location along the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, make it a linchpin for U.S. security efforts in North and West Africa, added the author of the analysis published by the Washington-based think-tank.
Moreover, the annual African Lion exercise, the largest U.S. Africa Command exercise, is a testament to the enduring security partnership between the two countries.
Leveraging Morocco’s advantages, such as potentially hosting AFRICOM assets recently advanced by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), could significantly enhance the United States’ crisis response capabilities and regional deterrence, said the research study.
The next administration could build on the trust established during the Trump presidency to negotiate an expanded scope of partnership with Morocco in alignment with both countries’ regional objectives, said the analyst, affirming that a stronger transatlantic cooperation enhances stability in North Africa
The United States must build on its longstanding military ties with European allies such as Spain, which hosts vital assets at Naval Station Rota and Morón Air Base, According to Heritage Foundation, which affirmed that a strengthened U.S. cooperation with Mauritania or Morocco can be a pillar of regional stability that bolsters collective security.
The review of U.S. defense strategy comes after Niger’s ruling military junta decided to suspend its military cooperation with the U.S., while Russia, China, Iran and Turkey are increasing their military and economic presence in Sahel and sub-Sahara Africa.
