Jean R. AbiNader September 13, 2018 The renewal of national conscription announced by King Mohammed VI in a speech following presentation of a draft bill to the Council of Ministers on August 20 has been greeted with confusion and concern. Although there is a backlog of pending legislation, it appears that this bill became a priority reflecting the king’s dissatisfaction with how many youth are responding to the government’s lack
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Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.) September 12, 2018 Last week, The Clinton Presidential Library made public a number of conversations between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and President Clinton. One document in particular caught my eye. On May 7, 1996 during a telephone conversation, the two men discussed a number of issues including the fighting in Chechnya. President Clinton reported that he had spoken to King Hassan at Yeltsin’s request and “Hassan
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Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.) August 26, 2018 America lost a great American patriot and national leader this week. John McCain, the son and grandson of US admirals, prisoner of war for 5 ½ years during the Vietnam war, died this week at the age of 81. He will be remembered as one of the greatest Senators of our times, a fiercely independent legislator, who always put country ahead of political expediencies.
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Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel (ret.) August 23, 2018 In 1219, St. Francis of Assisi joined the Fifth Crusade, not to go to war with the Muslims, but rather to evangelize with the aim of bringing a senseless conflict to an end. A dialogue ensued between St. Francis and Sultan Malek al-Kamil – the Kurdish ruler and the fourth Ayyubid sultan of Egypt – that lasted nearly a month, and which can be
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Jean R. AbiNader August 22, 2018 Head of Government, Saadeddine Othmani, unveiled the proposed 2019 Finance Law, which strongly emphasizes social development. It clearly responds to King Mohammed VI’s recent speeches lamenting the uneven and inadequate state of economic and social development, which has led to demonstrations in several areas in Morocco and a boycott spurred by the rising costs of essential consumer items. An article in La Tribune Afrique
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