May 31, 2009

العالم يتحد والمغرب العربي يزداد تفككا

تلقي يومية القدس نظرة على ما أمتها ظاهرة فشل عربية بامتياز في منطقة المغرب العربي، حيث فشلت أو فضلت هذه الدول الفشل في إحداث تكتل اقتصادي يعود بالنفع على شعوب المنطقة. المقال:
الأحد مايو 31 2009

تونس - خاص بـ من رشيد خشانة - أحرج رجال أعمال في بلدان الإتحاد المغاربي (الجزائر والمغرب وموريتانيا وتونس وليبيا) حكومات المنطقة في قمة اقتصادية للقطاع الخاص استضافتها الجزائر أخيرا، إذ سخر المتحدثون فيها من الذرائع التي تختفي خلفها السلطات لتبرير إرجاء التكامل الإقتصادي بين البلدان الخمسة الأعضاء في الإتحاد. وتساءل رجل أعمال تونسي في اليوم الأول من القمة منتقدا الحكومات "كيف تقولون إنكم تمهدون للتكامل بينما اضطررت لشراء بطاقة سفر للمجيء إلى الجزائر بسعر يعادل ضعف البطاقة إلى باريس ودفعت 250 يورو لليلة الواحدة في الفندق؟" وتجاوبت القاعة مع المتحدث بتصفيق حار.

انطلقت الألسنة من عقالها طيلة جلسات القمة الإقتصادية الأولى في نوعها موجهة سهاما كثيفة إلى الأجهزة المغاربية المترهلة التي لم تستطع إعطاء دفعة لقطار التكامل على رغم مرور عشرين سنة على إنشاء الإتحاد في مدينة مراكش المغربية في 17 شباط (فبراير) 1989.

منطقة اقتصادية مندمجة

ويرمي الإتحاد لإقامة منطقة اقتصادية مندمجة بعد إزالة الحدود الجمركية بين البلدان الخمسة، وهي خطوة قررها مجلس الرئاسة في سنة 1991 ولم تجد طريقها للتنفيذ حتى اليوم. وتُؤلف البلدان سوقا قوامها 100 ألف مستهلك ويُقدر دخلها الخام الإجمالي بـ224 بليون دولار، ما يعني أنها يمكن أن تشكل قوة اقليمية لو اتحدت. وطبقا لتقديرات خبراء اقتصاديين سيتيح إنشاء منطقة اقتصادية مغاربية موحدة زيادة نسبة النمو في البلدان الخمسة بنقطة أو نقطتين سنويا، وهو أمر كاف لحل معضلة البطالة التي تؤرقها وتُسبب لها مشاكل اجتماعية متنوعة ليست الهجرة غير المشروعة أخطرها.

ولا يملك المراقب إلا أن يؤيد استغراب رجال الأعمال في قمتهم من تدني نسبة التجارة البينية داخل بلدان الإتحاد والتي لا تتجاوز 3 في المائة فيما تستأثر البلدان الأوروبية بأكثر من 70 في المائة من تلك المبادلات. وعلى سبيل المقارنة تصل نسبة التجارة البينية في منظمة "أسيان" ASEAN إلى قرابة 22 في المائة وفي منظمة "مركوسور" (أميركا الجنوبية) إلى 19 في المائة. ويمكن القول إن تأخير إقامة تجمع اقتصادي اقليمي في المغرب العربي يتسبب بإهدار فرص كبيرة لاستقطاب الإستثمارات الخارجية، فعلى رغم التفكك الراهن، ارتفع حجم الإستثمارات التي استقطبتها البلدان الخمسة من 6.6 بلايين دولار في سنة 2004 إلى أكثر من 23 بليون دولار في سنة 2006، وهو ما يدل على الإمكانات الكبيرة التي ستتيحها إقامة سوق مغاربية موحدة.

وتعطلت مؤسسات الإتحاد منذ العام 1994، تاريخ آخر قمة مغاربية بسبب تداعيات النزاع المغربي الجزائري على الصحراء الغربية. كذلك تأخر إنشاء "المصرف المغاربي للإستثمار والتجارة الخارجية" الذي اتفق زعماء البلدان الخمسة على إنشائه بسبب خلافات بين البلدان الأعضاء.

وفرضت الأزمة المالية العالمية تحصين الإقتصادات المغاربية من تبعاتها وتطوير المؤسسات الصغيرة والمتوسطة وإنعاش القطاع السياحي ووضع مشاريع مغاربية قابلة للإنجاز، إلا أن ضعف الطاقة التنافسية للمؤسسات المغاربية قياسا على مثيلاتها الأوروبية والآسيوية يُشكل العائق الأول أمام إقامة منطقة اقتصادية مندمجة بسبب ضيق السوق المحلية والحواجز التي تحول دون انتشارها مغاربيا، وهي في الأساس حواجز ذات طابع سياسي.

ضعف البنية الأساسية

ومن الواضح أن سماكة الحواجز الجمركية وثقل الإجراءات الإدارية، فضلا عن ضعف تجهيزات البنية الأساسية شكلت عناصر أثنت المستثمرين الغربيين عن التوجه إلى الضفة الجنوبية للمتوسط، التي لا تستقطب حاليا سوى 2 في المئة فقط من الإستثمارات الخاصة الأوروبية، فيما هي تتجه بكثافة إلى أميركا اللاتينية وآسيا وأوروبا الشرقية.

وتشكل الضفة العربية للمتوسط، التي يحتل المغرب العربي موقعا مركزيا فيها، الجانب الأقل اجتذابا للإستثمارات في المنطقة المتوسطية. وعلى رغم تعهد الأوروبيين في مناسبات عدة تأمين المساعدة لشركائهم في الضفة الجنوبية لتنشيط الإستثمار بُغية الحد من موجات الهجرة غير المشروعة التي تجتاح سواحل البلدان الأوروبية الجنوبية، وبخاصة إيطاليا وإسبانيا، فإن نسب النمو المُسجلة في البلدان العربية مازالت دون المستوى الذي يُحقق امتصاص البطالة والتقليل من الفقر. وعلى مدى السنوات الأربع عشر التي مضت على إطلاق مسار برشلونة لم تحصد البلدان الجنوبية الشريكة في المسار سوى نقطة واحدة من نسب النمو التي تُحققها سنويا. وتُراوح النسب الحالية بين 4 و5 في المئة، وستكون في حدود 3 في المائة فقط هذا العام بسبب تداعيات الأزمة الإقتصادية، بدل نسبة 7 في المئة الضرورية لتقليص البطالة. وأدى اتساع التفاوت واختلال التوازن بين الضفتين إلى ابتعاد أمل التكامل المتوسطي الذي غدا سرابا بعدما كان أحد الأهداف المُعلنة لمسار برشلونة الذي انطلق في 1995.

وأوجدت أوروبا "الآلية الأورومتوسطية لتيسير الإستثمار والشراكة" كي تكون رافعة للتكامل من خلال تمويل الإستثمار المُنتج ودفع عجلة النمو وتقليص نسب الفقر وتحسين مستوى عيش المواطنين في الضفة الجنوبية، وبخاصة من خلال تعزيز المؤسسات التي تمنح قروضا صغيرة الحجم، إلا أن العملية مازالت مُتعثرة. ويكمن السبب الأساسي في توجس البلدان المغاربية من بعضها البعض وضعف مؤسسات الرقابة السياسية التي كانت ستفرض على الحكومات الإنطلاق في مشاريع التكامل. ولوحظ أن الولايات المتحدة عرضت مشروع تكامل اقتصادي اقليمي على العواصم المغاربية في أواخر العقد الماضي لإعطاء دفعة قوية للإستثمار والتنمية، إلا أن المشروع الذي يحمل اسم واضعه الوزير السابق أيزنستات، فشل مثلما فشلت المبادرات الأوروبية المماثلة، بسبب انهيار الثقة بين الزعماء المغاربيين الذين بأيديهم سلطة القرار.

وما لم توضع الدول المغاربية على سكة الديمقراطية وينتقل القرار إلى مؤسسات منتخبة وشفافة أسوة بالبلدان التي أنشأت "المجموعة الإقتصادية الأوروبية" والتي تطورت لاحقا إلى "الإتحاد الأوروبي"، لا أمل بإخراج الإتحاد المغاربي من غرفة العناية الفائقة ومعاودة بناء مؤسساته.


May 20, 2009

Interview with Moroccan-American Hip-Hop Artist RS-LOU

Moroccan Hip–Hop as a music genre has gained much popularity among the youth in recent years in Morocco. You now have recognizable names such as Casa Crew, H-Kayen, AlFaress, Fnaire, and the list goes on. There is also a group of artists based outside Morocco. RS-LOU belongs to this group. Born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, RS-LOU moved to the United States in mid-90s after residing briefly in Italy. I caught up with RS-LOU to find out more:

Jamal Laoudi (JL): A pleasure having you RS-LOU. To start, who is RS-LOU the person?

RS-LOU: Thank you for taking the time to do this Jamal. RS-LOU’s real name is Miloud ElAomari, a person just like everybody else. I love life, my family, sport, and music.




JL: What can you share about how RS-LOU the artist was born?

RS-LOU: I used to listen to Hip-Hop and Reggae music with my brothers growing up. I have always wanted to get my opinions across and express myself, and music seemed the most natural mean for me to accomplish that. "Morocco is the Place to Be" is my first single and that was the first window for the outside world into my work. The motivation behind that one is the realization that a strong bond to Morocco still persisted within me despite having lived outside the motherland for many years. It is the case for just about everybody as matter of fact. I performed that song on 2M TV’s program “Ajial” during my interview with them in 2008, and it gets plenty of playtime on 2M’s Radio as well.

JL: Where did the name RS-LOU come from?

RS-LOU: The “R” comes from my son’s name Rayan, the “S” from my daughter’s name Sofia, and “LOU” is derived from my first name Miloud.

JL: What Hip-Hop artists influenced you the most?


RS-LOU: Tupac Shukur by far. I respect his ability to make thought-provoking songs. He was a very talented rapper with amazing delivery ability and an effective method of communicating his messages. His rhymes and rhythms were also impeccable.

JL: How do you think you have developed and continue to develop as an artist?


RS-LOU: I am constantly working on developing my talent and improving my skills. I strive to continuously learn and I am not afraid to try new things and venture in unchartered territories. If something fails, I try other things because I don’t perceive failure as a bad thing; it is part of acquiring experience in life. .

JL: How many albums do you have out and where can they be found?

RS-LOU: There is a mixtape of seven songs that is on
www.rapmaroc.org. It can also be found on my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/rslou.
.
JL: What does RSLOU have in store for 2009?


RS-LOU: 2009 is going to be a great year! I have another mixtape with a new style, an upcoming video clip, and collaborations with some European artists.

JL: Which artists have you worked with this far?

RS-LOU: I have worked with quite few already. Notably Alfaress from Morocco with whom I have a track coming out early June, K-Ali, Layla, and Pablo Spero from Italy, Str8 from England, Samira from Spain, Trouble from New York, Casaset, Laraboys, Sk'Y, Trouble C. I hope I have covered all.

JL: Who is the one artist you would like to work with?

RS-LOU: To be honest with you, I am open to working with anybody. I really don't have a specific person. But you know in this business, you need a big name to help get your name out there faster.

JL: I understand that you write your own lyrics. Can you take me through that process? Where do you get your inspiration from? How long does it take to write lyrics for a song?

RS-LOU: Well, I have to have the concept figured out first. I would then play a chosen beat over and over and then I start writing down the details. Inspiration comes from my life experiences. There is no notion of time of completion. Some can take months to finish.


JL: Any upcoming live performances in the states this year?


RS-LOU: Not as of yet but that door is always open. It would be great to do a show here in the states. I would love to do something for the Moroccan Community. I do have few things in the making for Morocco however.

JL: What do you have in the making?

RS-LOU: I think 2M might have something set up for me. We are still working out the details. There is the possibility of doing few festivals as well; we will see.

JL: What is your biggest challenge as an artist?

RS-LOU: That would have to be maintaining myself as a good role-model. That is a role I took on by virtue of having my own two kids looking up to me. It is very easy to fall into the style of hip-hop with lots of profanity and inappropriate topics for the youth. I am a father and I understand the impact a song can have on a young person. I am challenged on a daily basis to make sure that what I write is respectful and meaningful, yet popular enough to thrive in the hip-hop market.

JL: Hip-Hop as you know is not that popular among certain demographics in Morocco. Why do you think that is?

RS-LOU: I feel that hip-hop is a victim of stereotype. Most people associate individuals who like hip-hop with crime and drugs. It is this stereotype that causes some youth to actually fall into this environment and justify it. To me hip-hop is just like any other kind of music out there, Rai, Chaabi, Country, Rock&Roll… It is a mean for artists to express themselves, and address important things to them.

JL: We are going to play a little game; I am going to mention 10 words, 2 at a time. Tell me which word you prefer out of every pair:


- Tea or Coffee?
RS-LOU: Tea

- Rai or Chaabi?
RS-LOU: Rai

- Basketball or Soccer?
RS-LOU: Soccer

- Tajin or Couscous?
RS-LOU: Couscous

- NY or LA?
RS-LOU: LA

JL: We have come to the end, thank you RS-LOU for entertaining all these questions and I wish you much success. As it is customary, the last words go to you:

RS-LOU: Well, thank you Mr. Jamal for this interview. I hope that people enjoy my music. I also hope to be a good example for the young fans because I am fully aware of the impact positive messages can have especially through music. There are many aspiring artists and I wish them all the best not only in their music but in anything else in life. Thank you again.




"Morocco is the Place 2 B" By RS-LOU

video

JL 2009 - Copyright(c)

May 16, 2009

The Makhzen and Moroccan Democracy



Kristina Kausch , a researcher at FRIDE Democratization Programme, dissected the situation of democracy in Morocco and the role of Makhzen in promoting or hindering the process in the kingdom. The report is publsihed in English , French, and Spanish.
The report is a much deeper look into the Moroccan democratic map that what is widely known and accepted in mainstream media. It's quite an interesting read.

According to Maximsnews.com, Kristina Kaush is a Researcher at FRIDE's Democratisation Programme and focuses on European policies of democracy promotion in the European neighbourhood. She holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Göttingen. Prior to joining FRIDE in 2004, she worked for several years on programmes of good governance and democratisation for the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), and at the Bertelsmann Foundation.

May 13, 2009

Lesson from Obama's Hambruger Trip





When are we going to see such a scene in Tunis, Rabat, Algiers, or Tripoli? A leader would walk in to a restaurant, place his order, pay, get his change back, etc.?
It is hard to tell if the American president orchestrated this visit for a media effect and a deeper connection with ordinary citizens, but it would be nice to see such a thing in the Maghreb, or even the Arab world.


Walking up to a food joint, chit-chatting with the citizens, standing in line, like everybody does will certainly keep you, as a leader, in touch with reality. In the authoritarian regimes we have in that area, sycophants scuffle to please their leaders, only pass positive intelligence, and filter the bad news and the negative reports about corruption, economic woes, and disgruntled citizens. So it sure helps to break the routine and get real.
But the most surreal scene from an Arab perspective is that the US president waited in line like everybody else for his turn. No go tell an Arab leader to wait in line for your meal!!

May 6, 2009

Tazmamart Victims' Memorial

I recall, as a teenager, when the utterance of the word “Tazmamart” (prison) evoked emotions and feelings of mystery, misery, and ultimate cruelty. My imagination proved useless in its attempts at simulating events of what could have been taking place in that prison. Demystifying Tazmamart consumed me for some odd reason. “Change the Subject” was the most common expression used as a reaction to having heard that “sinful” word uttered.

Fast forward to few days back when I came across Aljazeera’s program “Shahid ala AlAssr.” Its guest was Ahmed AlMarzouki, a former detainee for twenty years in that prison. I religiously watched all the episodes. I tried to put myself in his shoes and I could not help but feel disappointed. It is unbelievable that such indescribable atrocities and deplorable acts, to put it mildly, could have been committed.

Tazmamart prison has been closed and demolished few years back. The dead buried and the survivors released. Some of them went on to write books of their accounts among other things. The fundamental questions yet to be answered include: i) has justice been done by the surviving victims and their families, and the families of the dead?
ii) what guarantees and measures are in place to ensure that this would never happen again, knowing that international pressure played an important role in bringing an end to the infamous Tazamamart?

There is an overwhelming consensus and agreement that that entire episode is sad and tragic. The attitude in official Moroccan circles is that Tazmamart is a thing of the past; and we would do well to move on and forget about it. I am unable to find words that would capture the degree to which I am opposed to this approach and notion. I could not register my strong opposition enough. The contrary ought to happen and take place, I argue, because that would be most beneficial to the country in the short and long runs, as counterintuitive as that may be. A “Tazmamart Prison Victims’ Memorial” ought to be erected in the center of a big city. Such a monument will serve as reminder to future generations to appreciate the country’s human rights struggles.

As an example, the United States (US) went through a civil war, a dark chapter in its history. There are many civil war memorials allover the United States including the National Civil War Memorial http://www.nationalcwmemorial.org/ . Slavery and Civil Rights struggles are another example. The third Monday of every year is a federal holiday in the US commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, a prominent leader and a symbol of the civil rights movement. There is also a memorial in his honor. http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ .

And it is not just the US, in central Berlin Germany, you can find the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) also known as the Holocaust Memorial http://www.holocaust-mahnmal.de/ . The list of example-countries goes on. Such memorials have educational dimensions not only for the current generation but for the generations to come.

Building a Tazmamart Prison Victims’ Memorial would have a profound effect on the population. It will send a clear and a loud message to them and to the international community that Morocco has entered a new era in respecting human rights, and that it is as serious about it as any other government. This will also go a long way in silencing many voices of criticism. It will truly signal a new beginning which could prompt other nations to follow suit. May be, just may be this is an opportunity for Morocco to impact the world at a whole new level!!

Jamal Laoudi (c)
April 04/30/09