Morocco's usage of migration as a weapon for its foreign policy

Abstract

In recent decades, Morocco has changed from being a country of emigration to a country of transit as well as a destination for migrants, mainly from Sub-Saharan countries. At the same time, the Kingdom has become a key player in migration control in the Southern Mediterranean, at the external borders of Europe, and one of the main partners in security cooperation of the European Union. Morocco’s main concern regarding foreign policy has been the question of the Western Sahara territories, and has been long looking for the international community to accept its position. Moreover, the EU maintains an ambiguous or unclear position on the matter, primarily because of the different approaches the member states have to the problem and the political interests involved. This research attempts to show that Morocco uses migration management as a weapon for its foreign policy towards Europe. Through a case study methodology and conducting desk research, mainly through the analysis of texts, papers, reports and press articles, and using the process tracing technique, I will analyse how Morocco has been reacting against some decisions taken in Europe. Through the Coercive Engineered Migration theory, I will explain how the country challenges its European counterparts using migration flows, and the reasons behind these coercive attitudes.