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Article: Morocco's voyage from feudal to modern.(King Mohammed VI tries to move Morocco from feudalism to democracy)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- June 10, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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RABAT
Mixed signals as King Mohammed tries to transform the country he inherited
WHEN protesters take to the streets in other countries, they burn effigies of their leaders. In Morocco, they brandish pin-ups of the king like an amulet to ward off the baton-bashing of the police. The amulet may not always work. But for most Moroccans, Mohammed VI has spiritual status, with the authority to arbitrate between the kingdom's competing forces. His voice is supposed to prevail between soldiers and civilians, foreign investors and unions, women and Islamists.
It was simpler in his father's day. Politically, the kingdom was run as a medieval state with ...