team+10+Morocoo


 * Morocco**

= = =About the Alaouite Dynasty= The Alaouite Dynasty is named after its original founder, Moulay Ali Cherif, who brought his family to control all of Morocco after the death of Ahmad al-Mansur, the ruler of the previous Saadi Dynasty. Moulay Ali Cherif and his family were only the rulers of the Tafilalt region at first, but thanks to him and his son Moulay al-Rashid they were able overthrow the Saadi Dynasty and unite all of Morocco under one ruler. Due to Moulay Ali Cherif's achievements a mausoleum was built in his name in the town of Rissani, which is located in the Tafilalt region.

= = = = == =Migration to Morocco=

The royal family is believed to have first migrated to Morocco in the mid 13th century. This migration was led by Al Hassan Addakhil, who is a direct ancestor of Moulay Ali Cherif. Al Hassan Addakhil migrated from a town called Yanbu in the Hijaz region by the request of the inhabitants of the Tafilalt because he was thought to be a descendant of the prophet Mohammad. The inhabitants of Tafilalt requested that he move because they believed that he would help improve their crops in the region. The Tafilalt is a region in Morocco that is one of the largest Oases in the world and is famous for producing some of the best date palms around the globe. = =

== =Rise to Power= The Alaouite Dynasty started to gain more power when their founder, Moulay Ali Cherif took over as Prince of the Tafilalt in 1630. His rule started to increase over more of Morocco due to the anarchy that followed the death of Ahamd al-Mansur, who was the ruler of the the Saadi Dynasty. Moulay Ali Cherif was succeeded by his eldest son, Moulay Mohammed in 1635 many years prior to his death in 1659. Moulay Mohammed maintained a successful rule spanning almost twenty years from 1635 to 1664. He made great strides in expanding his family's rule by conquering the Draa River valley and the Sahara region. However, towards the end of his reign an internal conflict broke out between him and his brother Moulay al-Rashid. The feud started a civil war, which led to the eventual death of Moulay Mohammed in 1664 and the rise to power by al-Rashid. Following his ascension to power, Moulay al-Rashid led a small army to many crucial victories, including the taking of Taza and Fes. The sacking of Fes in 1666 proved to be the final stand of the Saadi Dynasty, who lost power completely to the Alaouite Dynasty shortly after. Moulay al-Rashid then became the first sultan of Morocco under the Alaouite Dyansty. He ruled as sultan for six years before his unfortunate death in 1672 due to falling off of his horse.

= = Adam Uecker http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAfrica/AfricaMorocco.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulay_Ali_Cherif, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaouite_Dynasty

=**Early European Influence In Morocco**= The French and Spanish were in a constant struggle to try and gain control over Morocco from 1840 through the early 20th century. Finally, after more than half a decade of fighting the two countries came to an agreement in 1904 (Anglo-French Agreement), the French and Spanish decided to split Morocco into spheres of influence (see map directly below). The Spanish spheres of influence were in the most northern and southern parts of Morocco and the French sphere of influence was the middle part of the country. In 1912, the Sultan of Morocco, Yusef Ben Hassan (pictured bottom right) declared Morocco a French and Spanish Protectorate State through the Treaty of Fez (March 30,1912) which effectively meant that he reigned as Sultan but did not rule. Nationalism grew strong in Morocco but in 1953, Sultan Muhammed V was deposed by the French and was replaced by his uncle until 1955, when Moroccan nationalism forced the French to reinstate him. On March 2, 1956 French and Spain recognized Morocco as an independent and sovereign country capable of governing itself.





Opposition to European Influence
During Yusef Ben Hassan reign as Sultan (1912-1927) there were many rebellions and conflicts with the French and Spanish but none of them were as serious as the Berber uprising in the Rif Mountains. Abd el-Krim the leader of the Berber tribes (pictured to the bottom left) was previously a judge who wanted to unify the Berber's and form a stable state for them. The Rif mountains were where the Berber people decided to establish themselves and form their capital city of Ajdir with about 550,000 people. The Rif mountains are located in the upper northwest of Morocco near Tangier (see map bottom right). This territory was in the Spanish section of Morocco but it was close enough to the border of the French zone that both France and Spain became concerned with the rebellion. Abd el-Krim drove back the Spanish many times when they came into the mountains but in the end he just did not have enough resources to fight them off entirely. Towards the end of 1925 the Spanish and French assembled a strike team composed of 400,000 men and hundreds of tanks and aircrafts that ended the rebellion for good.

Moroccan Independence
The French and Spanish both had partial control over Morocco so this meant that Mohammed V had to negotiate with both of them for Moroccan independence. In late 1955, Mohammed V successfully negotiated for the gradual restoration of Moroccan Independence. Mohammed V negotiated for independence through the framework of the French-Moroccan interdependence known as the Treaty of Fez. The Treaty of Fez was written in 1912 and declared Morocco a French and Spanish Protectorate. In February of 1956 Morocco was granted the power to have limited home rule and the Sultan agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy with a democratic core. On April 7, 1956 France officially relinquished its protectorate in Morocco and now that the French had agreed to let Morocco start to rule itself Mohammed V had to negotiate with the Spanish. After French Morocco gained independence the Spanish felt like it was time for them to give up their territories in Morocco and on March 2, 1956 in Paris the Spanish-Moroccan Agreement was signed that stated Spain would give up their territories in Morocco. In the months following independence Mohammed V proceeded to build a modern government under a constitutional monarchy in which the Sultan would have an active political role.

Kurt Lymburner -http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Spanish-French+Agreement+of+1904 -http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107800.html?pageno=3 -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_protectorate_of_Morocco -http://jchatoff.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/an-old-friend/ -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusef_of_Morocco =The Reign of Hassan II= =Hassan II Reign= After Mohammed V's death in 1961, his son, Hassan II, assumed the throne of Morocco on March 3, 1961. He would keep this position until his death of natural causes on July 23, 1999, a reign lasting over 38 years. Hassan's conservative rule would be full of political unrest and one known for its poor human rights record. His conservative rule along with the ruthless government responses earned this period the name "the years of lead". The reasoning behind this nickname was in response to political opposition, attempted military coups, and upheaval, and Hassan declared several "states of emergency." The forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and imprisonments of political opponents added to the periods name. =New Constitution= After Hassan II came into power with the help of an advisory council, he drafted a new Morocco constitution, which was approved in a December 1962 referendum by a large margin. Under the newly drafted constitution the king would still uphold the place as head central figure in the executive branch of the government, however the legislative power would be a bicameral parliament, and the judiciary power would be independent. Legislative elections took place during May 1963 and the royalist coalition won a small majority of seats in the bicameral parliament. This period would only last 2 years because after a time of political disruption Hassan II would take full control over the legislative and executive powers under a "state of exception," which would last until 1970. After this period a reformed constitution was passed giving parliament a few powers back and new elections were held. Many problems still persiste d due largely to talks of government corruption. These issues became so problematic they would eventually lead to two accounts of attempted military coups challenging the regime in July 1971 and August 1972. == =Cold War and Sand War= = = During the Cold War Hassan II choose to ally Morocco with the West primarily to be allies with the United States. During this time HassanII's government remained close with the CIA, who helped Morocco reorganize its security forces in 1960. Hassan would serve as a channel between the Arab world and Israel assisting in early negotiations between them. This was due largely because of the huge group of Moroccan Jews in Israel. The Sand War started in October 1963 and was the battle over Moroccan-Algerian borders, the Tindouf and the Bechar areas that were given to French Algeria a few decades prior. The war was short but final negotiations were not reached until 1972 in which Algeria offered Morocco shares in the earnings from iron ore in Tindouf in exchange that Morocco recognize its borders. =Green March and Mauritania Relations= The word green in this movement was intended to symbolize Islam. During this time as Spain began to pull out of the Western Sahara Morocco felt they should seize for themselves. King Hassan led his popular Green March of 350,000 volunteers (many were turned away) to establish Morocco's claims to the territory. The Moroccan Army followed, and thus began the long, low-intensity armed conflict with Polisario guerrillas, based at Tindouf in southern Algeria. Relations between Morocco and Mauritania were bad as it took ten years after Mauritania becoming independent before Morocco recognized their Independence. The reason for the wait was primarily because of Morocco's past claim on this country believing it was their territory.

=** Human Rights Violations under Hassan II **= Under Hassan II, human rights were under questioning with the use of torture and abuse of detainees by security forces, harsh prison conditions, illegal detention, faulty judicial procedural processes, a judiciary corrupted by the interior ministry, media censorship, restriction of demonstrations and child labor. Other areas of concern included restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly, association, religion and movement, discrimination against women and the under-reporting and under-investigating of domestic violence against women. Human rights groups during his reign struggled to publicize these events and put pressure on the government to stop these events from reoccurring. During the last years of Hassan's rule some positives moves were initiated such as the release of roughly 95 percent of all political prisoners, the signing of international human rights conventions, the acceptance of internationally promulgated human rights norms in the constitution and a rise in consciousness about human rights among Moroccans.

Hassan II done by Daniel J. Abel sources: (http://www.lokashakti.org/dev/encyclopedia/quotes?filter=Hassan%20II%20of%20Morocco), (http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/203667955/13375D1A80D3520BFFF/3?accountid=12598), (http://www.democracyweb.org/rights/morocco.php ), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Morocco), (http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v7/v7i1a3.htm), (http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/203693828/133755748D267C21D69/1?accountid=12598#center), =The Reign of Mohammed VI=

Reign: July 23, 1999- Present Predecessor: Hassan II = Background = Muhammad ibn al-Hassan, son of Hassan II and Lalla Latifa Hammou, was born on August 21, 1963 and appointed Crown Prince. He studied religion and politics very early in his life. After primary and secondary school, he went to law school in Rabat and earned a master’s in political science and a doctorate in law from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France. He has three siblings; one brother and three sisters. He is married to Salma Bennani, and has a son and a daughter. Mohammed VI is now the third king of Morocco since the country won independence from France in 1956. Constitutional Changes In June, 2011, Mohammad VI proposed new constitutional changes, limiting his own powers and attempting to westernize Morocco, forming a more democratic approach to the Moroccan government. The changes were overwhelmingly approved on July 1.
 * Reform **

Highlights of the new reform measures include: 1. A robust regionalization initiative transferring power from central state authorities in the regions to elected local and regional officials more accountable to citizens. 2. Appointing the Prime Minister from the winning party in parliamentary elections as elected head of the executive branch. 3. Expanding the scope and powers of the lower house of Parliament to discharge its representative, legislative, and regulatory mission. 4. Strengthening the role of political parties, including opposition parties, and civil society. 5. Reinforcing the independence of the Judiciary from Executive and Legislative branches. 6. Setting a date in June for Constitutional revisions from the appointed committee charged with consulting throughout Moroccan society to recommend changes and holding a national referendum for approval of the revisions to the current Constitution. 7. Promoting participation of women in managing regional affairs by ensuring equal access to elected office. 8. Protecting minority rights by enshrining the Amazigh cultural identity in the Constitution. 9. Enshrining in the Constitution institutions to promote good governance, human rights, and protection of freedoms. 10. Reinforcing mechanisms to ensure oversight and accountability in the exercise of power in public office. (source: [])

Human Rights Mohammad VI has taken a few steps to improve the Human Rights conditions in Morocco. One of his first acts was replacing the longtime interior minister, Driss Fasri, who is believed to be responsible for numerous human rights violations. He also created a commission to compensate victims of human rights abuses during his father’s reign. The commission heard 7,000 cases and compensated more than $100m in reparations. In 2004 he created the Equity and Reconciliation Commission. This commission’s goal is to rehabilitate the victims and compensate for human right’s violations. It has heard 22,000 cases and awarded $58m to over 9,000 people. Mohammad VI also announced on March 4, 2011 the creation of a new National Human Rights Council (CNDH).

Women’s Rights Mohammed VI has also improved women’s rights conditions in Morocco on a few measures. He made changes to Mudawana (family law) in early 2004; raising the legal age of marriage to 18, limited polygamy and granted women equal rights to divorce, and to child custody. He has also made thirty seats of the lower chamber of parliament designated for women legislatures, assuring their voice in government.

Casablanca Bombings On Friday, May 16th 2003, a group of 14 suicide bombers coordinated an attack on different Western and Jewish targets throughout Casablanca. There were five explosions within 30 minutes of eachother, killing 45 people: 8 Europeans, 25 Moroccan civilians and the 12 suicide bombers.
 * Terrorism in Morocco **

Post Attack Reform Ten days after the attack, Moroccan parliament passed anti-terrorist legislation. The controversial bill has been criticized for it's vague definition of "support" of terrorist activities. The new law also has issues involving journalism, and creates conditions where mistreatment and torture of detainees can more easily occur.

Morocco Elected into U.N. Security Council On October 21, 2011, Morocco received 151 votes, winning two of the three seats allocated to Africa and the Asia-Pacific in the United Nations Security Council.

Yonah Alexander, director of International Center of Terrorism Studies commented on Morocco's victory into the Security Council: "Morocco understands the importance of democratic reforms for winning the fight against extremism and terrorism. Nowhere is this more critical than in North Africa and the Middle East, where reformers and extremists are in a life-and-death struggle. Terrorist attacks have risen more than 500% in North Africa and the Sahel since 9/11. The recent influx of Libyan arms smuggled into the Sahel, the base for //al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb //, is a great concern. Col. Qaddafi may be gone, but his weapons are a threat to the stability of the entire region." source: []

The Reign of Mohammad VI done by: Michael Deiotte Sources:

"Morocco On The Move | Press Releases – Morocco Delivers…." // Morocco On The Move | Your Source for News and Information about Morocco //. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. . “Morocco Human Rights & Human Rights Council and King Mohammed.” Marcopolis.net. 31 March. 2011. < http://www.marcopolis.net/morocco-human-rights-human-rights-council-and-king-mohammed-vi.htm#humanright > “Morocco Human Rights & Human Rights Council and King Mohammed.” Marcopolis.net. 31 March. 2011. < http://www.marcopolis.net/morocco-human-rights-human-rights-council-and-king-mohammed-vi.htm#humanright > "Global Jihad - Casablanca Bombings." // Global Jihad - GLOBAL-JIHAD HOME PAGE //. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. < http://www.globaljihad.net/view_page.asp?id=389 >. "Morocco's Reforms after the Casablanca Bombings - Sada." Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. < http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2008/08/26/morocco-s-reforms-after-casablanca-bombings/813f >. Newswire – Fri, Pr. "Morocco Wins Vote for Seat on UN Security Council--Recognized for Role in Arab Spring Reforms, UN Peacekeeping, & Confronting Security Risks to Region - Yahoo! News." //Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines //. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.  "Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo elected to Security Council" UN News Center. 21 October. 2011 