Sunday, September 20, 2015

Moroccan Nationalism


Nationalism can be defined as patriotic feelings, principles, or efforts. It is based around the strong belief that one’s country is superior to others, and the advocacy of political independence. So what does nationalism do for a country? JFK once said, “It is not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Having pride in your nation can definitely be a positive thing, but it can also backfire. So how does nationalism play out all over the world?
            According to Cline’s “Nationalism in Morocco” article in The Middle East Journal,
            “In contrast to most Moslem lands under European domination, Morocco has proved to be poor soil for the growth of political nationalism. Several factors have contributed to its infertility, the chief among them being the radical divisions in Moroccan society.” (Cline)
            Zakaria sees danger in the rise of nationalism because it dominates the world with one country’s beliefs and burns the remainder. With the rise of nationalism growing stronger and stronger every day, we seem to let go of cultural appreciation for countries other than our own. It is important to teach the future generations to both have pride for our nation and also appreciate and respect the ideas of other nations. If we stop listening to others’ ideas and only care about our own, we will lose a vital part of what makes the world work, and that is the melting pot of nations and ideas. Nationalism isn’t the only thing Morocco should be worried about.
            Recently, inequality has been an issue plaguing Morocco, mostly due to the fact that
            “In the short run, the lack of access to the labour market has driven up poverty and inequality, despite a significant rollout of social services. Besides the risk of political unrest, the worst effect is the loss of human capital associated with the under-utilisation of human resources. As the lack of access to income is the main driver of poverty, we may see an increase in inequality. This would be an unbearable strain.”(Young)
            Nationalism can be good or bad, but inequality can be toxic to a country. Like every other country in the world, Morocco has its own hurdles as far as making sure everything lines up appropriately.


 


















Cline, Walter. "Nationalism in Morocco." The Middle East Journal 1.1: 18-28. Print.


http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/aug/20/youth-unemployment-interactive-abdeslam-seddiki-morocco

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