It has been a big month in global diplomacy. The 80th United Nations General Assembly wrapped up and the mammoth, meandering speech of President Donald J. Trump certainly packed a punch. Diplomats told one analyst “it could have been worse,” however, many, both inside and outside the UN agreed with President Trump’s sharp comments about the UN’s failure to resolve any recent conflict.
A change in UN leadership awaits, with rumours swirling as to who will be put forth as the next candidate for the role of Secretary General – along with internal calls for greater transparency about how the head of the UN is selected. Russia and the United States are likely to have the first and final say, and many UN observers doubt whether anyone with backbone will be chosen.
During the General Assembly, Western countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, France and Canada, finally voted in recognition of a Palestinian state, in the face of widespread protests in these countries against the continuing bombing and starvation of Gazans. However, in recent weeks reports of record arms sales from the UK to Israel have circulated, making it clear that many Western countries are more interested in ticking boxes rather than taking meaningful action.
President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is now in effect. While the three-page plan may provide an end to two years of slaughter, it fails to address key issues such as an end to Israeli occupation and Palestinian self-determination, which continues to be a core driver of the conflict. Again, the UN, which has in the past led post-conflict transitions, has no political role or place on the ‘Board of Peace,’ which will oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza, according to the plan.
In Morocco, the country where I spent eight years in jail for peacefully opposing the government, a new wave of GenZ demonstrators has taken to the streets to demand better healthcare, education and an end to corruption. The demonstrations, which were sparked by the deaths of women in a maternity ward in Agadir, follow a wave of protests in Kenya, Madagascar and other African countries. Sadly, although unsurprisingly, the demonstrations have been met by mass arrests and violence from security forces, but organizers are continuing to mobilize using social media. The crackdown casts a shadow over the Moroccan government’s claim that it respects democracy and human rights and discredits the plan for autonomy in Western Sahara that they have been peddling to Western governments.
The euphoria over the possibility that President Trump’s pledge to find a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war has dissipated and the carnage in Sudan continues.
The UN continues to play a significant humanitarian role in conflicts like these throughout the world, but the “good offices” of the UN Secretary General that were supposed to mediate conflicts are nowhere to be seen.
In this edition of Diplomacy Now we feature an analysis of the Gaza plan and where it is likely to fall short, an article on the GenZ demonstrations in Morocco, a thought piece about the politics of the Maghreb and an analysis of the UN’s failed mediation efforts in Syria.
As with every edition the views expressed by contributors are not all necessarily our own. However, ICDI remains committed to the ethos and philosophy that open debate, dialogue, diplomacy, and mediation, rather than armed conflict and war, offer the way forward to resolving any conflict.
Thank you for reading Diplomacy Now and we welcome your feedback at diplomacynow@dialogueinitiatives.org.
Jamal Benomar
Chair of ICDI
Professor Marc Weller offers a deep-dive into the three-page Gaza peace plan, its implications and shortfalls.
“To Palestinians, the document will appear unbalanced, emphasizing Israel’s security interests over their demands for a leading role in the period of ‘the day after’ the Gaza war. Indeed, there seems to have been little or no Palestinian voice in the development of the plan,” he writes.
“There are many potential problems. First of all, a list of 20 principles barely spanning three pages does not represent a comprehensive peace agreement.(…) There are some areas where politics will prevent the principles translating into a workable scheme, and other areas where practicalities will present major obstacles,” he writes.
Moroccan investigative journalist Abdellatif El Hamamouchi explores the recent demonstrations in Morocco led by a group known as ‘GenZ 212’ and why it is distinct.
“The group, which has no discernable structure and isn’t affiliated with any ideological or political orientation, focused on three demands: reform of the health and education sectors, and combating rampant corruption in state institutions,” he writes.
“Hundreds of young Moroccans responded to GenZ 212’s call, taking to the streets in scenes reminiscent of the February 20 Movement uprising in 2011. Despite the difference in context, as the Arab Spring had a regional dimension extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf, and the “GenZ Movement” is characterised by a more globalised struggle, the slogans chanted in the streets during the protests chimed closely with those of 201, during the Arab Spring.”
Moroccan scholar and documentary filmmaker Said Salmi writes about the significance of the recent demonstrations and where they might lead.
“GenZ212 is neither a political party nor an association. It is the spontaneous expression of a generation that refuses to be condemned to unemployment, precariousness, and lack of prospects. Its mobilization is simultaneously a denunciation of the present and an affirmation of a future,” he writes.
“Morocco thus faces a new type of contestation, led by youth who are more connected, informed, and demanding than previous generations. Their greatest challenge is transforming their anger and energy into a lasting force for change, without losing their autonomy or being weakened by internal divisions or repression.”
Moroccan writer and journalist Soulaiman Raissouni offers a deep dive into the role that the Palestinian struggle has played in uniting and dividing Maghreb countries. Beginning with the recent rift between Morocco and Algeria over Morocco’s normalization of ties with Israel in recent years, he explores the shifting positions of North African governments, particularly Morocco on the issue of Palestine.
“The Palestinian issue and the Arab Israeli conflict have been defining and influential in the development and deterioration of diplomatic relations between the Maghreb states since before the independence of the Maghreb countries and to this day. No one disputes that their fragmentation and their inability to build a political and economic union have a negative effect on the developmental status of their people,” he writes.
What could civil society in the Maghreb now do to bridge these divisions?
Syrian scholar and activist Dr. Rifaie Tammas explores how the regime of Bashar al-Assad used the mediation process to buy time and legitimacy during its long and brutal civil war. For now the UN has been sidelined, but what role could it now play and how will it regain the trust of the Syrian people he asks?
“The failure of United Nations-led mediation in resolving the Syrian conflict or making any significant progress toward easing humanitarian suffering under the regime of Bashar al-Assad has led to the sidelining of the global body in the nation’s critical transition period,” he writes.
“For the UN to have any chance of successfully facilitating the transitional process, it must first regain the trust of the Syrians who lost their faith in the UN and focus on contributing to rebuilding the war-affected country.”
Nelson Mandela
