Saudi Arabia and Morocco: Conservative Monarchies and the Interactions of Common and Specific Interests

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Saudi Arabia and Morocco are separated by some 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) and located at different ends of the Arab world, yet they have the closest ties of any countries between their respective regions: the Arabian peninsula and the Maghreb. This does not mean that there have not been disagreements in perspectives at times, but historically their common connections have outweighed any specific differences. Indeed, there was some tension over the issues of the blockade of Qatar (2017–2021), in which Morocco refused to participate and professed neutrality, and Morocco’s continuing control over Western Sahara, over which there was a perceived lack of diplomatic support from the Saudi government; however, even before the settlement of the Qatar crisis, Morocco’s tariff dispute with Turkey and Saudi Arabia’s unofficial boycott of Turkish goods facilitated rapprochement and a better understanding of each other’s most important security concerns, though respective distinct geopolitical perspectives still persist.This article will review and analyze the bilateral diplomatic relations of Saudi Arabia and Morocco and issues of common concern, since the latter country achieved independence from France in 1956 as a study of two conservative monarchies wanting to preserve their respective political systems and enhance their political influence in their respective regions as middle powers in the face of changing political conditions in the Arab and Islamic worlds.